Kyle Rightley (album release)

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Jim Barnard

Kyle Rightley

Madison-based multi-instrumentalist Kyle Rightley's last album, Making Home, was a 2018 MAMA Award winner for Country/Bluegrass Album of the Year. His new solo effort, The Hum, does include some Americana elements but they are employed as one piece of what as a whole is a very impressive mixing of varied musical styles — often smoothly juxtaposed in the same song. No matter the style, Rightley's empathetic and aware storytelling is always at the fore.

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media release: Award-winning singer/songwriter Kyle Rightley will release his second full-length solo album, The Hum, on April 1. This album sees the multi-instrumentalist turning a new page. “The record was almost 4 years in the making, but it really came together during the pandemic” says Rightley. “My solo music has been called Americana and folk before, and there’s still some of that going on here. But I made a conscious decision to let all the facets of my music making and personality into the mix this time.”

 “Rabbit Hole” opens the album with a look at online algorithms and conspiracy theory breeding grounds. Musically, the track walks the line between acoustic folk-rock, electronic music, and full-blown industrial metal. Other highlights of the album include the bluesy and politically charged “Victim Without a Crime,” the pastoral ukulele and trombone choirs of “Shattering Sky,” and the lo-fi electronic ambience of “Come Up for Air.”

 Based in Madison, Rightley has built a career as a singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, educator, and all-around musical chameleon. His most recent solo release, Making Home, won the 2018 Madison Area Music Association Award (MAMA) for Country/Bluegrass Album of the Year. Isthmus described the album as “traditional Americana that resembles political forebears like Joan Baez or Willie Nelson.” In addition to his solo exploits, he is a member of WAMI- and MAMA-award-winning groups The Big Payback, Driveway Thriftdwellers, The Civil Engineers, Five Points Jazz Collective, Don’t Mess With Cupid, and other area ensembles.