To understand the profound depth of Amana Melome's new album, "Recalibration", one must first appreciate the legacy she carries. As the granddaughter of Jimmy Woode, the legendary bassist who was the youngest member of Duke Ellington's orchestra and who performed alongside icons like Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald, Melome' is heir to a monumental tradition in American music. Her latest work is not a simple continuation...

This single. This single. Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter and producer Omar has dropped "Better Be Lucky," and, well, I'm wrestling with a sonic octopus here. It's electric pop, sure, but it feels like pop that’s been put through a taffy puller of conflicting emotions. Did I just think about taffy? Why? Moving on. https://open.spotify.com/album/4qPGja59tO2IVMi2V2J79p?si=k7evvjeMSzKSkyfPV0m9AA The central theme – that brain-scrambling push-pull of a toxic relationship fueled by...