Steve Horowitz

Braxton Keith's charm lies in part in his ability to keep things light. Let's sing about love, cheating, drinking, and forget about our heavy concerns.

As the old philosophical question goes, “If a tree falls in an empty forest, does it make a sound?” That query feels newly relevant in the age of modern music-making. We live in a world where anyone can hear virtually any song ever recorded, anytime, anywhere (provided there’s an internet connection). Today’s artist isn’t just competing with peers for attention, but with the entire history of recorded sound. The forest is so dense with trees that it becomes impossible to hear anything at all.

Jenny Reynolds' story songs on Willow & Stone keep things simple. Her lyrics wryly address our existential challenges with a nod to love as the redeemer.

Life is but a dream, and the dream has a life of its own. We wake up only when we sleep. Tucker Zimmerman's final opus offers a lullaby of love.

These 1970s jazz albums can generally be described as "post-bop" and were made during the mid-to-late 1970s, with top-notch sonic quality for live recordings.

Low Cut Connie's Adam Weiner is angry, energetic and eloquent. So is his music. These Livin in the USA songs resist and inspire.

Foreign Tongues may please some Rolling Stones fans, as the individual members share inspired moments. One can hear their earnestness and desire to please.

Aaron Lee Tasjan wrestles with imposter syndrome and artificial intelligence on Get Over It, Underdog . Tasjan finds joy and pleasure where he can.

R&B artist Cautious Clay's The Hours: High Noon delivers a deeply resonant reflection on daily life and time passing.

Cautious Clay’s The Hours: High Noon is the third part of his conceptual trilogy of songs about one day in a life. As the Beatles might say, “Oh boy”. Caut