Claudia Lawrence of Richfield:

1 Kimberly Michaels. The Twin Cities' own will be rocking her sweet CD release party Sunday night at the Southern Theater in Minneapolis.

2 Shelby J., the Dakota. I loved her performance with Liv Warfield and Judith Hill. What a powerhouse R&B singer. She commands the stage. She'll be back at the Dakota April 19-20 for CD release shows.

3 Valerie Simpson. I see her at the Sugar Bar, which she owns, in New York City. She's a songwriter extraordinaire and half of Ashford & Simpson. I'm so excited that she'll be performing July 1 with Paul Shaffer's band at the Ames Center in Burnsville.

Contribute: popmusic@startribune.com.

Jon Bream of the Star Tribune:

1 Lizzo, the O'Shaughnessy. Opening the Women of Substance Festival, she was part presidential candidate, part motivational speaker and part Beyoncé. Homegirl should be a big star.

2 Against Me, Xcel Energy Center. While perfectly setting the stage for Green Day, singer Laura Jane Grace said her first concert was Green Day. If this show was anyone's live rock initiation, it will be a high standard to measure against forever.

3 André Cymone, "1969." Much of this CD by Prince's pal sounds like heavy rock circa 1969. But the high points are current and topical tunes including "Black Lives Matter," "Black Man in America" and "1969," a meditation on how today's climate evokes the U.S. in that tumultuous year.