When Alexa Dirks started describing her latest albumas Begonia,Powder Blue, she turns to vivid imagery: her baby blanket, the airiness of clouds on a summer day, chlorine-filled water ina hotel pool, circa-1970s Elvis Presley wearing an ill-fitting jumpsuit, her collection of faded denim jackets.“Powder Blueis more of an emotion,”explains the Winnipeg, Canada, native.“The name of this album needed to be something that encompasses all ofthe feelings that these songs give mewhen they are put together. When I listen to them as a unit, they send me back to the words,the color.”Fittingly,Powder Blue’s musicfeels timelessand classic,as well aseclectic.Trip-hop beats andpropulsive grooves pulse throughout the album, shadowing Dirks' stunningvoice;shealternates between a dusky croon and an expressive, belting delivery. The album nods tovintage soul ("I'm Not Dying," "Crying") sunny R&B ("Bleeding Heart") and soaring balladry("Chasing Every Sunrise").Yet the albumis firmly in the realm of contemporary music: Standout" The Only One"is modern, keyboard-polishedpopthat features Dirks' most powerful vocalperformance on the album.