Take Jack Horton, a Portland-based singer-songwriter whose path to folk-Americana included stops at Japanese law school, Tokyo piano bars, corporate boardrooms, and government offices. His latest EP, "Imperfections," feels like finding someone's private journal set to music. And that someone happens to write really, really well. The five-song collection opens with "Set Me Free," a piano-driven confession that might surprise anyone expecting typical breakup bitterness. Horton...

Delia Okaro, better known as Okaro, keeps pushing the limits of music with her new album "Foreign" It's a unique mix of R&B, pop, Afrobeats, hip-hop, and dance music, which is why she calls it "cyber." Produced by herself and assisted by co-artist Giuliano Cotta, "Foreign" is a brave and thoughtful look at change, awakening, and the search for living a truly true life. "Foreign" was...