Articles by Kyle Mullin

Valerie June Builds on R&B Traditions with 'The Moon and Stars: Prescriptions for Dreamers'
PUBLISHED Mar 8, 2021
An endorsement from legendary Stax Records singer Carla Thomas would be a dream come true for most musicians, but Valerie June attains much...
Montreal's Hua Li 化力 Won't Let the World Stop Her from Connecting with Her Wuhan Roots
PUBLISHED Jan 11, 2021
At the start of 2020, Hua Li 化力 worried helplessly from half a world away as her grandmother and other Wuhan relatives went under lockdown...
Steve Earle and the Dukes' 'J.T.' Is a Fitting Send-Off to Justin Townes Earle
PUBLISHED Jan 4, 2021
Tumultuous as their relationship was, Steve Earle clearly reveres his son Justin Townes Earle as a songwriter. Years after Steve (himself a...
Spotify's "Donate" Button: Demeaning or Desperately Needed?
PUBLISHED Dec 3, 2020
Call it a COVID-19 twist on passing a tip jar around the bar — but this time, the coins have been replaced by PayPal transfers through Spot...
Common Faces 2020 with Optimism Rather Than Anger on 'A Beautiful Revolution Pt. 1'
PUBLISHED Nov 3, 2020
Given all the turmoil of 2020, is it time to uplift? Or burn it all down? Common opts for the former on A Beautiful Revolution Pt. 1. The...
Conway the Machine Hangs with Rap's Best on 'From King to a GOD'
PUBLISHED Sep 9, 2020
On "Lemon," a key track from Conway the Machine's must-listen new album From King to a GOD, the Buffalo, NY-based rapper abruptly shifts fr...
Hannah Georgas's 'All That Emotion' Has the Bittersweet Beauty of a Late-Summer Heat Wave
PUBLISHED Sep 3, 2020
If you could give your bygone self advice, what would you say? Hannah Georgas certainly knows. Through music that evokes both the nostalgia...
No Tourists Set Themselves Apart from Other Toronto Rappers on 'Guerilla'
PUBLISHED Aug 13, 2020
Chiming percussion, somehow reminiscent of both island steel drums and chirping synth keys, is one of the standout elements of "Safe Bet,"...