Amara-Fe has definitively shifted from the messy business of becoming into the absolute certainty of claiming with her new album, "A Queen’s Ambition". The rising solo artist, tethered to deep musical roots extending through Mission and Dallas, Texas, arrives fully formed here. There is a palpable weight to her cinematic R&B and electropop arrangements. You can almost feel her surveying her territory, setting borders,...

With "The HeARTist," Dublin's very own Galvo joins the indie-folk community in its ongoing pursuit for true heartbeats among an array of sounds. This 14-track journey relates to an authenticity that is difficult to find these days. Galvo is a phenomenon rather than simply a name or an artist. Every note he sings and every chord he pulls tells of a life submerged in melodies since...