For the past eight years, the Soul’d Out Festival has taken over Portland at the height of spring, when the city’s streets are coated with the cotton-candy pink aftermath of cherry blossom explosions and cloud breaks reminding us that yes, the sky really is blue. With all that pent-up winter energy, it’s the perfect time of year to spend a week scurrying to and from venues across town and hearing some fantastic music from local and touring musicians. Though, as the name implies, Soul’d Out loosely centers on soul—and in years past the festival has hosted some of the genre’s legends, from the late Sharon Jones to the ever-beloved Charles Bradley—its shows feature all sorts of artists playing smooth R&B to experimental electronic to traditional Mexican folk. Everything you’ll hear is meant to move you, draw you closer, and speak to some corner of your soul. Here’s the Mercury music staff’s list of artists you must experience live at 2017’s Soul’d Out Festival.