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A signee to DJ Khaled’s We the Best/Def Jam imprint, Ace Hood is riding the shockwaves from the success of “Overtime” with a brand-new single, “Loco Wit the Cake.” Ace Hood shows off his flamboyant lifestyle (“Spend 30 in the mall/Five cars sitting tall”) over a treacherous Schife beat. “Loco Wit the Cake” reveals that the cards are in Ace Hood’s favor. If you like the track, check out the album.

Any recording that begins with an old-fashioned walking double bass line already sounds like a winner to us. Add suave yet understated drumming, crisp acoustic guitar comping, and, most importantly, singer/songwriter/pianist/guitarist Leslie Mendelson’s spirited voice, and one gets a song that does indeed, as advertised, “Hit the Spot.” The bluesy piano and boozy horns that come in later fortify the song’s adult-pop brilliance, which will make listeners frequently click “repeat.” If you like the track, check out the album.

Robert Avellanet spent his youth as a member of Menudo in the late ’80s, and honed his rock skills throughout the ’90s as a part of bands like Euphoria, El Reencuentro, and Los Ultimos Heroes. Now he’s back as RoBA and with a new album, Jet Privado. “Laberinto” is a smooth pop track on the surface, but it rocks with gusto – a blazing guitar kicks the tune off which helps bring RoBA into a new level of rock ‘n’ roll sincerity. If you like the track, check out the album.

Mayer Hawthorne’s music is a throwback to a time when sweet, sweet soul ruled the airwaves and solid backbeats were recorded without any digital enhancements. “Just Ain’t Gonna Work Out” is from the school of Impressions-era Curtis Mayfield or Miracles-era Smokey Robinson — it’s got Hawthorne’s falsetto vocals ruling over a minimal bit of funk (also provided by Hawthorne, who plays all the instruments). Did we mention he’s a 29-year-old white kid from Ann Arbor? If you like the track, check out the single.

This Nashville group perfectly illustrates the mixture of twang and commercial rock that helps keep country music alive and thriving with a new generation. “Don’t Wake Me” is a cut from Love and Theft’s upcoming World Wide Open album. Members Brian Bandas, Stephen Barker Liles, and Eric Gunderson intertwine their vocals to create excellent harmonies, and there’s a fiddle not too far off in the mix of what’s primarily an uptempo rock ballad with country soul. If you like the track, check out the EP.

This Colombian group released its first album in 2007, mixing the electronic sounds boom out of the clubs with more traditional cumbia rhythms. Its newest album, Blow-Up, expands on that idea by integrating champeta and bullerengue sounds into the mix and adding more live percussionists to bring the rhythms to the forefront. This new electofolklorico sound is taken to a high point on “Fuego,” where vocalist Liliana Saumet lures in the listener with her charismatic energy.

Dublin’s Laura Izibor has a voice that sings up and out over her surroundings, bringing a little bit of sunshine wherever she goes. She represents the new sound of soul music and brings to it a touch of sass and passion that makes her particular style stand out from the pack. “Don’t Stay” is breezy, windswept funk with Izibor shining on the vocals – it’s orchestrated warmly and with the intimacy of a Sunday morning church service. If you like the track, check out the album now available for $7.99.

Major Lazer is the dynamic DJ duo of Switch and Diplo, creating a distinct style of future-facing dance music. Diplo and Switch build a feverish pace on “Keep It Goin’ Louder,” chopping up baile funk beats and electro effects, while Nina Sky and Ricky Blaze watch over the packed dance floor doing play-by-play and color commentary. “Keep It Goin’ Louder” is an example of the collaboration-heavy Major Lazer debut, Guns Don’t Kill People Lazers Do. The album is stacked deep with guests like T.O.K., Santigold, Vybz Kartel, Turbulence, Future Trouble, Mr. Vegas, and . . . Andy Milonakis? You’ve been warned. If you like what you hear, check out the album.

Argentine singer/songwriter Federico Aubele has given us two albums of genre-hopping pop – mixing up ambient grooves with tango and hip-hop with bolero. “Otra Vez” is a track from his third album that squeezes in some exquisitelyplayed acoustic guitar against the moody and luscious electronic backbeat. Assistance on the vocal side comes from Brazilian Girls vocalist, Sabina Sciubba.

Help the L.A.-based group the Ruse celebrate its fifth year together by downloading the sparkling “Beautiful Is Gone.” Recalling the grandeur of U2, the song features impassioned vocals and heroically layered guitars over a tightly executed rhythm section of bass guitar and drums. It’s the sound of 1980s earnestness coupled with 21st-century ambition. If you like what you hear, check out the Ruse’s third album, Midnight In the City, now available at a discounted price.