ERIN BOHEME HOMETOWN: Oshkosh, Wisc. INFLUENCES: Billie Holiday, Carly Simon, Dean Martin ALBUM: What a Life, out Feb. 5 WEBSITE: erinbohememusic.com Erin Boheme’s father introduced his daughter to the music of Frank Sinatra and Billie Holiday, while her mom watched her sing to Al Green, Aretha Franklin and Earth, Wind & Fire. Erin soon followed her own passion for many styles, and began singing at weddings and private parties before landing... 

APRIL KRY HOMETOWN: Hartford, Conn. INFLUENCES: Taylor Swift, Colbie Caillat, Billie Holiday ALBUM: Music Speaks EP, out now WEBSITE: aprilkry.com  Pop-rock singer-songwriter April Kry embarked upon her music career in a traditional setting—growing up singing in the church where her father served as a worship leader. Kry moved around a lot as a child in central Connecticut, and music eased her loneliness. “I found that music was my escape from... 

LIFT EVERY VOICE How anyone—and we mean anyone—can learn to sing more sweetly Artists as stylistically and generationally diverse as Billie Holiday, Sam Cooke, Roger Daltrey and Lady Gaga have proven again and again that the right vocal performance can touch the listener’s deepest emotions—while the wrong one can abuse the eardrums of innocent bystanders. Learning to channel your own inner songbird can be a challenge, but there are steps... 

NORAH JONES How she made the most unexpected music of her career with some help from Danger Mouse.  In June 2009, Norah Jones was somewhere not many people would expect her to be: in a small Los Angeles studio, cooking up new music with producer Brian “Danger Mouse” Burton. Ten years ago, Jones’ diamond-selling debut, Come Away With Me, established her as a pop icon with a soft, jazzy touch. Each of her follow-up solo albums—all of which... 

GLENN FREY The Eagles’ co-leader takes a solo flight through classic love songs  “The Eagles is the mothership,” says Glenn Frey. “We venture to and from that.” For his first solo album in 20 years, the 63-year-old Detroit native ventured far indeed: After Hours is a collection of love songs dating from the ’40s to the present. Producing with Richard F.W. Davis and Michael Thompson, Frey gives candlelit treatment to such gems as Johnny...