The color of a worn-out teddy bear, the kind that smells faintly of dried chamomile tea and forgotten childhood adventures—that's what “Ma,” the new single from Jeán et Joie, conjures up. It’s less a song, and more an unearthed memory, one that's been tucked away so deep it almost feels like someone else's. https://open.spotify.com/track/27VCVxylhkNKIGLePpYkjS?si=KXDtxEOAQ9uHvremPfb4zQ Jeán et Joie, the American folk artist, lays down vocals as smooth...

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...