When I pressed play on the latest release from Shelita, titled "Sailors", I wasn't expecting the floor to drop out from under me. You see, "pop" is often a safe word, a designation for the palatable. But this? This is something else entirely. It’s as if someone took a tender ballad and threw it into a particle accelerator to see what sub-atomic emotions would...

Jake Vera’s “Purgatory”: A Raw Ode to the Afterlife and Beyond Putting out a first song called "Purgatory" seems almost radical. Even though it is not exactly roses, Jake Vera is not here to play it safe. Coming from Dallas, Texas, this self-made artist has made a song that hits you hard emotionally and sounds rough. Working with producer AfwulDrama, Vera crafts an introspective exploration of...