SANDERS, Julia

Rather than let mystery paralyze her, Sanders channeled her all-consuming awe into music, eleven songs dedicated to questions—Is there any such thing as true contentment? What happens when we die? What’s the point of this life?—usually easier left unasked.

At the time Sanders began, challenging notions swirled around her. She’d entered a new phase of motherhood, every day shaped by the endlessly evolving adventure it is to raise a human being. Meanwhile, her own mother, with whom relations had been historically strained, was nearing the end of her life. Album standout “Star Stickers” illuminates these circular complexities of the human experience with stunning grace