danceable rock sound, grounded by singer Tiki Lewis' smooth delivery. In the video for "Custodian," the first-time Contest entrants pack an energetic, seamless performance into a space overflowing with greenery. —Marissa Lorusso

Danielle Ponder, "Poor Man's Pain"

YouTube

Hometown: Rochester, N.Y.

Pairs well with: Fighting for freedom

Danielle Ponder preaches with a powerful conviction in her entry, "Poor Man's Pain." The video's YouTube description notes, "This song was inspired by Willie Simmons, who was sentenced to life in prison for stealing $9 in 1982, the people I've represented as a public defender and my brother who was sentenced to 20 years to life for a larceny." Ponder shares this message with a demanding presence and a sound that serves as the perfect voice of a movement: anthemic while compassionate; soulful while bold andstrong. She reverberates with a goose bump-inducing passion, building to the song's final wail for freedom. —Elle Mannion

Mani Bahia & The Mob, "Sunday Morning"

YouTube

Hometown: Pittsburgh, Pa.

Pairs well with: Moving all your furniture to the walls to clear out a dance floor

Mani Bahia and The Mob's entry "Sunday Morning" is a house party, and Mani is an MC in the most literal sense of the term: the master of ceremonies, introducing herself and the band, floating over a driving funk-infused beat and then letting the instrumentalist shine. Just make sure you have space to two-step before you hit play. —Jon Lewis

Zoe Berman, "Age of the Sherbet Man"

YouTube

Hometown: Denver, Colo.

Pairs well with: A phone call with an old friend; a renewed sense of hope

From her whimsical and sweetly lit "quaran-tent,"