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...

Naomi Jane’s “Measure Forever” approaches romance without the glossy filter, and with that, there are big feelings here.  The song understands that real love is rarely just candlelight and grand declarations. Sometimes, it is imagining your future together while wondering how you will survive someone else’s snoring. Naomi is already looking beyond the present, picturing vows and a shared life, but she never loses sight of...