by Michael Starita | Jan 30, 2025 | Kyra Gordon Press Coverage
Kyra Gordon, the Americana singer-songwriter known for her soulful voice and introspective lyrics, has released her highly anticipated second album, Traveler. This 8-track collection is a captivating exploration of love, loss, and self-discovery, delivered through a blend of alt-country, folk, and rock.
The album’s standout tracks offer a glimpse into Gordon’s personal experiences and universal themes. “Traveler,” the title track, is a vibrant anthem celebrating freedom and the joy of life on the road. “Woodstock” pays homage to the iconic festival, channelling the spirit of Janis Joplin and Richie Havens with its bluesy, rock-infused sound.
“F U Cancer” is a particularly powerful track, confronting the challenges of a cancer diagnosis with humour, anger, and resilience. Gordon’s raw emotion shines through in this intense rock-opera, offering hope and strength to listeners facing similar struggles.
“Tell Me and I’ll Listen” delves into the complexities of mother-daughter relationships, delivering a heartfelt and poignant ballad. The album’s crescendo “Burn It Down,” a fiery country-rock anthem that captures the pain of heartbreak and the empowering journey of self-reclamation.
Traveler is a testament to Kyra Gordon’s talent as a singer-songwriter. Her heartfelt lyrics, combined with her powerful vocals and dynamic musical arrangements, create a truly immersive listening experience. Whether you’re a fan of Americana or simply appreciate soulful music, Traveler is an album worth exploring.
Kyra Gordon’s releases latest album ‘Traveler’ exploring love, Loss, and self-discovery
by Michael Starita | Jan 30, 2025 | Kyra Gordon Press Coverage
Kyra Gordon, TRAVELER. It’s always amazing how many great singers there are, no matter where you look. Kyra Gordon is based in the Bay Area, but her full-fledged vocals and wondrous songs could be from several areas of America. The strength in her voice comes across from the very first notes of the opening song on her powerful new album TRAVELER, sounding like this is her collection to put through her power. There is a strength to these songs that the woman has pointed to previously, but TRAVELER she has definitely delivered. The way she can highlight a folk-fledged song like “Balloons on Your Grave” and still keep the dynamics a full-tilt shows a degree of beauty that isn’t heard that often. And that’s true on all the eight original songs Gordon has written for TRAVELER, which takes a lot of ambition these days. But that is one of the real achievements Kyra Gordon has been displaying her entire career: ambition. Her vocals and keyboards can float through folk-filled deepness to rock-edged kicks. There is no way this woman is going to be boxed in. California has always been the land of new artists and new sounds, and Young is here to show it will hopefully always be that way. Songs like “Nashville You Fooled Me” to “F U Cancer” show a new arrival who is making up her own rules. It’s all here.
Bentley’s Bandstand: November 2024
by Michael Starita | Jan 30, 2025 | Kyra Gordon Press Coverage
I seem to have caught Kyra Gordon at a transition point. Her second album, Traveler, sees her moving away from the jazz influences that colored Soul of a Showgirl and embracing more rock, roots and Americana flavors. But that isn’t to say that the songs here are any less deft and delicious; it is just that they echo with a more rootsy resonance.
If the opening title track sets the tone, a galloping yet graceful slice of alt-country, for want of a better term, it is “Nashville, You Fooled Me,” which follows that really catches my attention. In this song built of gentle acoustic cascades and slow-burning anthemics, we get a real sense of how great a singer she is and, as she relates how the town smashed her “pedal-steel dreams,” a fantastically poetic lyricist too.
“Balloons on Your Grave” is touching and tender, poignant and drifting. “Burn It Down” shows us that she is just as comfortable with stadium-ready country rock as she is with the more delicate deliveries. “California” rounds things off with a supple and subtle, piano-driven anthem to that great state.
I must confess that I’m a late-comer to Kyra Gordon’s music, joining her growing band of musical admirers upon hearing the brilliant “F U Cancer.” But it is not until you hear an entire album that you really get to know an artist properly, and it is safe to say that Traveler is one of those albums that will be going from the review pile straight to the well-thumbed end of my personal record collection. And that doesn’t happen very often.
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Traveler – Kyra Gordon (reviewed by Dave Franklin)
by Michael Starita | Jan 30, 2025 | Kyra Gordon Press Coverage
Americana singer-songwriter Kyra Gordon releases her highly anticipated 8-track second album ‘Traveler’ via Starita Records and produced by Kyra, Rachel Efron ( Arden Alexa, David Hobbes, and Norzin) and Brian Rodvien. The album is an evocative journey through 8 tracks that mark Gordon’s evolution from her jazz-focused debut to a dynamic blend of alt-country, folk, and rock. ‘Traveler’ celebrates Gordon’s unique sound, blending heartfelt lyrics with Americana influences. The album reflects on the artist’s life on the road, exploring universal themes of love, loss, and self-discovery. Each song offers listeners a glimpse into Gordon’s introspective storytelling, with themes inspired by her travels and life’s unpredictable journeys.
At the heart of Traveler are eight original tracks that exemplify Gordon’s evolution as an artist. The album opens with the title track ‘Traveler,’ a vibrant anthem celebrating freedom, love, and life on the road. Inspired by Gordon’s experiences traveling across the U.S. to perform intimate “House Concerts,” the song is a love letter to her journey and a tribute to her husband, whose support sustains her. With a steady train beat, spirited guitar lines, and a duet-style chorus, ‘Traveler’ blends joy and reflection in an engaging Americana track that captures the album’s overarching theme of self-discovery.
The next single, ‘Woodstock,’ co-produced with Brian Rodvien, pays homage to the iconic festival’s spirit with a bluesy, rock-infused edge. Inspired by Gordon’s visit to Woodstock’s original site, the track channels icons like Janis Joplin and Richie Havens through fuzzed-out Wurlitzer keys and a nostalgic yet modern sound.
The following is the last single to be released from the album. ‘F U Cancer,’ the track takes listeners on an intense journey through humor, anger, and resilience in the face of a cancer diagnosis. Inspired by Gordon’s personal experiences, the track builds from a delicate ballad to a vibrant rock opera, confronting emotions and encouraging resilience amid life’s challenges.
In ‘Tell Me, and I’ll Listen,’ Gordon delves into the delicate dynamics of mother-daughter relationships. This piano-led ballad produced by Efron pairs haunting vocals with lush strings and guitars, offering listeners an intensely personal narrative about connection, understanding, and generational trauma.
The final original from the album ‘Burn It Down,’ is a fiery country-rock ballad that captures the pain of heartbreak and the empowering journey of self-reclamation. Produced by Rachel Efron and featuring bold guitar riffs from James DePrato, the track has already earned early praise, with American singer Tracy Nelson calling it “intense and captivating.” Gordon’s powerful vocal delivery and the song’s dark yet liberating tone establish Traveler as a compelling journey from the outset.
by Michael Starita | Dec 19, 2024 | Kyra Gordon Press Coverage
It’s funny how music made for the most personal reasons can often resonate so universally. How small, seemingly silly songs can often become potent and poignant rallying cries. That has certainly been the case with Kyra Gordon’s latest single, “F U Cancer.”
Written, initially at least, as a way of injecting some humor into a friend’s life when they were undergoing chemotherapy, this occasional live song took on more relevance when Gordon herself received her own cancer diagnosis, and the song became her own support mechanism for her own ordeal.
So, this rough sketch of a song, which started life for the most innocent of reasons, became something that Gordon poured all her resilience and rage, fear and fire, honesty, and humor into. The result is a song that runs from a solo piano piece, a mere backdrop for her unrelenting and heartfelt words through Beatle-esque singalongs, and finally to anthemic crescendos in the form of majestic, hard-rock power ballad vibes, the perfect combination of rallying cry and rage.
And so this small song which was written merely to put a smile on a friend’s face at a time when there was little to smile at has become, or at least should become, the fist in the air and shoulder to cry on, a support mechanism and two-finger response to anyone going through such pain and difficulty.
Life can be tough, but never forget that you are not alone.
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by Michael Starita | Dec 19, 2024 | Kyra Gordon Press Coverage
Kyra Gordon’s new single, “F U Cancer,” is a fierce anthem that combines rock opera intensity with raw vulnerability, capturing the rollercoaster of emotions faced in the battle against cancer. Initially written to lift her best friend’s spirits during chemotherapy, the song took on deeper significance after Gordon’s own diagnosis with early-stage breast cancer, transforming into a personal declaration of resilience and defiance.
Timed for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, “F U Cancer” channels humor, rage, and sadness in equal measure, as Gordon invites listeners to confront the difficult and varied emotions cancer brings. With an intimate piano intro that builds into a powerful, cathartic rock opera, the track’s live-recorded energy feels both genuine and electrifying. Inspired by Guns N’ Roses’ “November Rain,” the outro crescendos with soaring guitars and sweeping vocals, echo the unpredictable nature of life with the disease.
As the sixth single from her upcoming album, Traveler, “F U Cancer” highlights Gordon’s talent for deeply personal storytelling, blending elements of Americana, rock, and theatrical flair. The song is more than an anthem; it’s an invitation for all affected by cancer to feel empowered, showing solidarity with a bold crowdsourced music video campaign inviting fans to participate by flipping the bird to cancer.
“F U Cancer” is an unapologetic, resilient call to arms—a testament to Gordon’s strength and her commitment to reaching others through honest, unfiltered music.
