Orlando Mendez, a renowned American singer, songwriter, and composer, shares his impressive abilities and a lifelong love of country music. Orlando's high school years were marked by a tremendous affinity for country music, which, combined with his upbringing in a mostly Cuban environment in Miami, earned him the loving moniker "Cuban Cowboy." To further his musical goals, eight months ago Orlando started his own band, simply...

Phoebe Huisman and the release "Inside" arrived in my speakers like the sudden, sharp scent of rain hitting hot asphalt familiar, grounding, and weirdly emotional. There is something unnerving about how accurately this collection of songs maps the topographical mess of being a teenager. Huisman, a singer-songwriter with the technical chops of a Distinction-grade vocalist and the heart of a poet, has essentially constructed...