Listening to Arnold J.’s new single, "Muddy Waters," isn't quite like anything else swirling around right now. It arrives with the gentle insistence of incoming tide, pulling you into its specific gravity. Arnold J., Ghanaian-born and now Canada-based, weaves a sound tagged as alt-country and folk, but those labels feel thin, like trying to contain smoke. There’s earthiness, sure, but his soulful vocal lines...

It's only fair that a young vocalist with as much potential as Nini Uppuluri gets all the praise she can get. You can't possibly dispute that she is who she claims to be. The energetic performer has just released a new single called "Carafe - Bittersweet v2," which is a highly engaging and entertaining piece of music. Her voice is as luscious as sugar and as...