Ethel Cain: Everytime (Britney Spears Cover)

Replacing the tinkling keys of Britney Spears’ haunting 2003 ballad “Everytime” with a guitar, Ethel Cain reimagines the sad bop as a slowed-down, even more somber lament. The song (written by Spears and her back-up singer Annet Artani) is an ethereal, shapeshifting creation that’s carried by Cain’s melancholy voice and almost eerie backing vocals. The singer-songwriter says in a statement, “I’ve always loved this song …

Asa: Morning Man

From Nigerian-French artist Asa’s album V, “Morning Man” is a softly luminous love song. The singer-songwriter (also known as Bukola Elemide) has created a tender track that’s befitting of her fifth studio album, a vibrant 10-track work that’s imbued with Afrobeat and features tinges of jazz, funk, pop and more—with glorious percussive elements.

Staples Jr Singers: When Do We Get Paid

In 1971, in Aberdeen, Mississippi, 11-year-old Annie Brown Caldwell, 12-year-old ARC Brown and 13-year-old Edward Brown formed Staples Jr Singers, an family gospel group that fused the urgent struggles of Black Americans with infectious, breezy funk and cruising melodies. They went on to create one of the rarest gospel recordings of the ’70s, When Do We Get Paid, by selling copies on their front lawn. …