Recommending people music is one of my favorite games. It’s like buying a present; you listen to someone talk about what they need or like, take a few mental notes, and come back later with the perfect item. Not every gift will click. But when you do it right, you deliver something useful and enriching.

So you’ll understand why I wanted to start recommending songs to the Current audience. If you send me an artist (any artist!) and what you like about them — could be anything from lengthy outros or screamin’ power chords — I’ll post a response on our site, recommending a song by a local artist and explaining how I got there. Part-Dear Abby, part-DJ set.

I may not be able to answer each inquiry, but the comments section will be open, so everyone can be part of this conversation. I love Spotify playlists as much as the next person, but this should be way out of algorithms’ league.

- Cecilia Johnson