Independent multi-instrumentalist Cheryl Craigie has returned with a synth-pop cover of the classic soul staple, "What's Going On". Performing every vocal line and instrument herself, Craigie reinterprets the iconic plea for peace through a distinctly electronic lens. https://open.spotify.com/album/5koCGV86w9A29rvROrYlF8?si=J54YA8O4S9aGeTGOHFJmkA The performance rests on a bizarrely fascinating contrast. Craigie’s voice rolls smoothly through undulating, soulful phrases, carrying a desperate message about war, brutality, and systemic hatred. Yet beneath...

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...