Before listening to a single note of Suris’ new album, “Pertinax”, I spent a few minutes just looking at the word. Pertinax. It has the distinct ring of a Stoic philosopher’s last defiant utterance or maybe a type of beetle known for its unusually stubborn shell. What a curious flag to fly for a collection of songs in an age of fleeting distraction. But...

"O Holy Night," as sung by Kate Stanford, is one of the few Christmas songs that has the emotional weight, spiritual depth, and lasting power that it does. The song gives stillness, respect, and attention from the very first line, and you have to follow through to the very end. It's not just a Christmas song; it's an appeal, a declaration, and a beautiful rendition of...