Move forward Joe Lington has the most modern R&B sound and is Cork's own musical gem. It's just as interesting to read about Lington's quick rise in the R&B scene around the world as it is to listen to his music, which is based on the emotional rhythms of the lively streets of Cork. As the saying goes, all artistic projects have to start somewhere....

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...