Take Jack Horton, a Portland-based singer-songwriter whose path to folk-Americana included stops at Japanese law school, Tokyo piano bars, corporate boardrooms, and government offices. His latest EP, "Imperfections," feels like finding someone's private journal set to music. And that someone happens to write really, really well. The five-song collection opens with "Set Me Free," a piano-driven confession that might surprise anyone expecting typical breakup bitterness. Horton...

Kelsie Kimberlin, a multi-talented musician and singer who was born in the United States but has strong ties to Ukraine, deviates significantly from the mould of the normal artist. Her work, despite the fact that it is clearly amusing, delves deeper than the surface, exploring serious social themes with multiple meanings that demonstrate her great awareness of the transforming power of music. Kelsie went on an...