Lyia Meta's latest album, "Always You," confidently pays homage to the literary prowess of Denise Dimin while simultaneously infusing it with her own personal experiences and emotions, creating a powerful and original musical expression. Lyia is more than simply a vocalist; she was born in the middle of Los Angeles but spent much of her life honing her skill in Malaysia. She is a multi-talented...

There's a specific kind of bleak bartering that happens at 2 AM, and Rusty Reid’s single “Piece of the Action” builds a whole four-minute economy around it. This isn't a song about the sweeping grandeur of romance; it’s a clinical look at turning “dissatisfaction” into “a transaction of love.” The language is deliberate, almost like a contract being signed on a napkin under a...