The moment the jaunty guitar kicks in on John Smyths’ new single, "Now I'm Wiser", you feel a familiar, comfortable warmth. It’s the sound of a good chair in a bar where the floor is sticky with spilled truths. And then the story starts, a classic yarn of a hard-living past yielding to a peaceful present. Smyths, a Dutch ex-metalhead singing country out of...

Ghana's Revolutionary Voice Danqua Transforms Afrobeat Through Spiritual Innovation. Danqua, emerging from the vibrant streets of Accra, doesn't just participate in Ghana's musical conversation—he transforms it. In his ground-breaking piece "Orison," Danqua makes both a musical and a spiritual statement. The structure of the track's percussion forms a complicated beat that pulls listeners into its gravitational field. Not only is this piece technically impressive, but there is...