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...

Simply by seeing the way in which he composes a song, it is possible to deduce that he is one of the greatest rappers to have ever lived. To be more specific, who are we talking about? That's correct; "Fold" is the title of the latest track that was released by British rapper D'vonti. While singing about his doubts about his music career, the new song...