Sacha Mullin is a Chicago singer-songwriter and teacher, and the Chicago Reader recently named him the city's best pop artist. His fourth album, Social Touch, came out on October 19. After three art-rock records, he made this one closer to pop. The lead single, "Hypocenter," has backing vocals by Emily Bindiger, who has sung with Leonard Cohen and on the Cowboy Bebop soundtrack.

The album has a few highlights, but my favourite song is "Joy". It has a lovely McCartney-esque melody and a groovy bass line that gives the whole thing a nice bounce. I especially love the funky guitars in the chorus, which could easily come from a Prince record. There's also a rushing, very Motown-sounding tambourine that makes the groove even more buoyant. The verses are a little more laid-back, with soulful keys and guitar parts that remind me of modern soul artists like Steve Lacy. It's an interesting mix of influences from different decades, and the arrangement is full of little details worth paying attention to.

But the vocals might be my favorite part. The singer has an incredibly soulful voice and puts a crazy amount of emotion into every line. Sometimes the delivery gets rough and bluesy, and then suddenly it becomes huge and almost operatic. I love how unpredictable the singing is, and how much personality comes through in every phrase. There's some serious vocal talent here that could fill stadiums!