Amy-Lin Slezak’s “Known 3 Yrs. Seen 24 Hrs” opens with the bright, optimistic twang of country pop, a sound so sun-drenched you can almost feel the heat coming off the asphalt. The fiddle weaves itself through clean acoustic strums and soaring electric guitars, a musical language we all know. But the story it tells is something wonderfully specific, a peculiar ache you didn't know...

The Gabonese artist delivers a powerful meditation on identity that hits right in the chest. The music does not rush to grab your attention with cheap tricks. Instead, it pulls you in with a steady, hypnotic groove that feels like a heartbeat. The delicate plucking of the cithare by Seth Adiahénot Tetey sets a mesmerizing tone, quickly joined by the deep, resonant harmonies of a...