Okay, let’s tumble into Apryll Aileen's “Under My Tree,” shall we? It’s not your grandma’s sleigh-bell jingler, not by a long shot. Aileen, this classically-trained pianist, decides to cloak herself in a Christmas-themed R&B haze, like wrapping a finely-made watch in soft flannel. It’s the kind of thing that makes you tilt your head. https://open.spotify.com/track/6BBE2fTRte3f7HW7NZkTwm?si=JDkhIyolRLeIJS9r8m7PVA The song feels like staring at a snow globe, the tiny...

If you want to experience the raw depths of human feeling, listen to "Thief" by Emily Nicole Green. This is the song for anyone who has experienced the sting of rejection, the difficulty of reconciling life's contradictory realities, or the emptiness of longing for someone who is no longer in one's life. Emily, a bright light in the midst of New York City's hustle and bustle,...