Johnny Venus is stepping out on his own, and “I Want You Back” makes a strong case for where he’s headed. Best known as one half of EARTHGANG, the GRAMMY®-nominated artist trades some of the duo’s more expansive experimentation for something intimate and emotionally direct, blending soul, R&B and funk around a relationship he isn’t quite ready to leave behind.

Starchild Vol. I may be made for kids and families, but Divinity Roxx isn’t talking down to anyone. Instead, she builds an entire musical universe around Starchild, a seemingly ordinary girl who gradually discovers that she comes from somewhere far beyond Earth—and that the power she’s searching for has been inside her all along.

Lawrence’s latest album, Family Business, feels like both a culmination and a leap forward for the New York–based soul-pop collective.

Legendary funk icon George Clinton takes listeners on a cosmic voyage through the expansive universe of his musical journey in …And Your...