Listening to Arnold J.’s new single, "Muddy Waters," isn't quite like anything else swirling around right now. It arrives with the gentle insistence of incoming tide, pulling you into its specific gravity. Arnold J., Ghanaian-born and now Canada-based, weaves a sound tagged as alt-country and folk, but those labels feel thin, like trying to contain smoke. There’s earthiness, sure, but his soulful vocal lines...

Folk music has always had a special relationship with social commentary. From Woody Guthrie's dust bowl ballads to Bob Dylan's protest anthems, the genre has given voice to the voiceless and held a mirror up to society's failings. It's a tradition that Swiss singer-songwriter Dave Curl continues with his powerful new single, "Zueri." A song written thirty years ago and finally released in February 2026, it's...