ON THE COVER:
HOZIER

Columbia singer-songwriter Hozier has one of the year’s biggest hits in “Too Sweet,” which remains in the upper reaches of the DSP charts despite a flurry of superstar drops—and the label’s Ron Perry and Jen Mallory are like kids in a candy store. “Sweet” is the Irish troubadour’s most massive song since the powerhouse “Take Me to Church” turned heads a decade ago, but he has been making consistently compelling music the whole time, and establishing himself as a very effective live act. Whether his present “Sweet” run will offset the bitter taste of this HITS cover appearance remains to be seen.