The French singer Maeva Fischer is, as the headline promises, a bright star, and her collaboration with rapper T Mike on the song "Supernova" is proof positive of that. You can hear distinct influences from French chanson, jazz, pop, and soul in this song. It represents all that is free, pleasant, and warm in our souls. Her dedication to the song's subject matter is constant throughout...

Amara-Fe has definitively shifted from the messy business of becoming into the absolute certainty of claiming with her new album, "A Queen’s Ambition". The rising solo artist, tethered to deep musical roots extending through Mission and Dallas, Texas, arrives fully formed here. There is a palpable weight to her cinematic R&B and electropop arrangements. You can almost feel her surveying her territory, setting borders,...