When I pressed play on the latest release from Shelita, titled "Sailors", I wasn't expecting the floor to drop out from under me. You see, "pop" is often a safe word, a designation for the palatable. But this? This is something else entirely. It’s as if someone took a tender ballad and threw it into a particle accelerator to see what sub-atomic emotions would...

Steve Young’s latest release, the heavily autobiographical EP "Riffin For A Livin", arrives with the sudden, exhaling relief of a man pulling off a heavy, borrowed uniform. For three decades, the British frontman, main songwriter, guitarist, and vocalist has existed as the dependable anchor in the background. He’s played alongside stars like Darren Hayes and Lionel Richie, and he’s dutifully grinded through an estimated...