Ava Valianti represents something increasingly rare in contemporary music: genuine precocity without artifice. This Massachusetts artist, who is only fifteen years old, handles general themes with a level of emotional depth that is shocking. She shows that youth can bring out the best in complicated human experiences, rather than hiding them. "Distant," her sixth single, functions as a sonic archaeology of friendship's dissolution. The track excavates layers...

Detroit-born, Scandinavian-based jazz vocalist Ella Fitzpatrick has officially unveiled her latest album, "Big Band Reflections", delivering a lush, ambitious tribute to the golden era of jazz orchestras. Honing her craft by blending raw American soul with a sharp Nordic sophistication, Fitzpatrick uses this project to transform the colossal, moving parts of a swing ensemble into a functioning metaphor for human survival. The tempos inevitably...