There's a curious jolt in hearing a title like "Us Against The World" from an act called The Cockney Cowboy. The name itself is a glorious contradiction, a pairing of gritty East London reality with the wide-open romance of Nashville. You half expect a joke, but what Justin Vella delivers is a dead-serious, straight-shooting country ballad that smells less of hay bales and more...

This song's composition makes it an easy bet that it will be remembered as one of the year's finest musical offerings. The 17-year-old performer's latest single, "Why I," is an exciting showcase of talent and charisma. He's so talented and smart musically that he can take existing tunes and give them a whole new spin. It's obvious in this song that he's singing to a female,...