The versatility to jump from jazz and soul to electro-pop and hip-hop isn’t most artists’ strength. However, Erin Barra is as much electronic producer as she is confident blue-eyed soul singer with notes of Adele and Florence Welch.

She sees her career as a patchwork of opportunities – not limited to seeking notoriety as a performer. In her own work, Barra switches between recording pop soul with a full acoustic band and more computer-driven electro-pop. But she can also be found writing and producing for pop artists and producers like John Oates, who heard her when she was a student at Berklee College of Music. Her style is less experimental than stylistically diverse, with distinct threads of R&B. And her long-term goal is to maintain a career in music where she can keep inventing her own role. – LINKS: Bianca Seidman’s interview with Erin Barra.

For folk rocker Imran Ahmed’s first record since 2010, he’s giving us a first look at how some of his latest romantic exploits have been going: with the simple but seductively charming EP ‘Simone Staring Away.’ With this record, the Greenpoint artist has surpassed his own legacy in creating music that compliments hammocks rocking sexily in exotic locations. It sounds something like Serge Gainsbourg, if the Parisian troubadour was comfortable singing with solo guitar. I’m excited to hear the full-length from where this material is being pulled from. Titled ‘Life at the Zoo,’ the full-length is set to drop sometime next year. Take a listen to ‘Forgiveness’ below to get a sample of what’s to come. Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)