To listen to Stevie Hawkins’ take on "A Song For You" is to have a conversation with a ghost in a dimly lit room after the show has ended. Hawkins, long the rhythmic engine for the song's originator Leon Russell, steps from behind the drum kit to the microphone, and the space between these two roles compresses decades into four and a half minutes....

The melodic cadence and instrumentation aren't the only abilities that performers in the Canadian rap business bring to the table; they also bring a wealth of other skills. Introducing Daniel Nwosu Jr., better known as Dax, an artist whose journey from Wichita, Kansas, to the worldwide music arena has been marked by a story that is evocative of a cinematic experience. Dax's journey began in Wichita,...