When taking a plunge into Snoh Aalegra’s lush, emotive soundscapes, it’s easy to deduce that the singer-songwriter, born Shahrzad Fooladi, listens to a lot of 1990s R&B. I first stumbled upon her single “Fool for You” while watching season three of HBO’s Insecure, as one does. And as it turns out, there’s not a Snoh Aalegra song I don’t like. Her entire catalog (two EPs, two LPs, the most recent 2019’s Ugh, those feels again) is relatable, vulnerable, and exceptionally produced R&B, with vocals that are never doing too much or too little, but just enough, and influences that jump out from time to time: Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Mariah Carey, Brandy, Lauryn Hill. Another inspiration is Prince—Aalegra became a protégé of the Purple One in 2014, a relationship that continued until his death in 2016. She’s currently touring in support of Ugh, which is packed with some of her best work yet. If her recent Tiny Desk Concert performance for NPR is any indication, she and her band are simply stunning live. by Jenni Moore