There’s a curious sort of old-soul gravity to Amelina’s single, “Step by Step,” one that defies the pop-rock sheen and the artist’s young age. The track opens with a resolute, almost stern, string and piano line that feels less like an invitation to a party and more like the sound of someone tying their shoelaces before a long journey. This is the sound of...

Southern Louisiana Creole visionary Zióna Maré-Laveaux introduces her new single, "FOLD ME LIKE SUNDAY", and honestly, my immediate physical reaction was a sudden urge to lay flat on the floor and cancel all appointments. She calls this entirely original sonic territory ZIONYX™. It is a staggering, humid fusion of Afrobeat, Global Black Sound, and Bayou Soul that flawlessly bridges her ancestral heritage with a...