British songwriter/singer/actress Mahalia Burkmar (better known as Mahalia) recorded her first single at age 13, and at 21 just released Love and Compromise—which is being called a “debut album" even though her 11-track project, Diary of Me, came out in 2016. But let’s not haggle, shall we? There’s some real talent here. Mahalia’s soothing voice pings and pops thanks to her Caribbean inflections and hip hop/jazz sensibilities, producing the kind of R&B-influenced pop that’s built for romantic interludes and bobbing your head while speeding through the city on a sultry summer night. Pay special attention to her banger “Simmer" with Nigerian Afro-fusion singer Burna Boy; it’s a sexy journey that documents the heat of a burgeoning relationship and the impossibility of trying to cool it down. Mahalia’s career could easily take a similar trajectory, so get in on this now. by Wm. Steven Humphrey