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...

Because Mr. Julz and Bessem helped bring Afrobeat to the forefront of the music business, you will find that you appreciate this song even more than before. "Recliner Baby" is an upbeat Afrobeat and Afropop love song that tells the story of a man who is confessing his feelings to the woman he has recently fallen in love with. Anyone who listens to the music will...