Seishin Takeno's "Echoes," a sonic postcard from Kanagawa. Nine instrumental pieces, I've been told. Not nine songs, mind you – more like nine shaded windows into a particular kind of quiet. This isn't music that yells; it leans in, like a friend confiding a secret you half-hear on a summer porch. Immediately, you're not so much listening as remembering. Or maybe anticipating. It feels...

If one were to immerse themselves in the environment of modern popular music, one would find that there is a dynamic and broad assortment of voice expressions. On rare occasions, though, one person may rise from the middle of multiple voices with great clarity and charisma, compelling others to listen to what they have to say. Katie Belle is making waves with her entrancing new...