Jane Marie enlists the help of Jessica Mia to deliver the private journey promised by the title "Home"—an experience that listeners can only imagine. The symbolic connection of love to the sensation of "coming home" gives the lyrics a nostalgic and accessible quality, as heard in the song. This imagery paints a picture of a welcoming, familiar place, which indicates that the journey of emotions the...

Ava Valianti represents something increasingly rare in contemporary music: genuine precocity without artifice. This Massachusetts artist, who is only fifteen years old, handles general themes with a level of emotional depth that is shocking. She shows that youth can bring out the best in complicated human experiences, rather than hiding them. "Distant," her sixth single, functions as a sonic archaeology of friendship's dissolution. The track excavates layers...