The debut EP of Janet Noh, “Love Me More” emerges as a shining light of empowerment and self-discovery. This classically trained pianist and pop-R&B songwriter, singer, and producer who used to work and live on Wall Street now places all her different experiences from here and there into an EP that speaks straight to your soul. “Love Me More” is a five-song trip through the terrain...

Sam Ostler’s new single, “Lights,” then. It unfolds less like a sudden, intrusive glare and more like the slow, determined burn of a really good stage light finally finding its mark after a prolonged blackout. It’s pop, yes, vibrant and undeniably contemporary as advertised – clean lines, clear intentions. Yet, there’s a certain satisfying heft beneath the melodic uplift, a feeling that these notes...