Strumming and singing in and around Dayton Ohio since 2010, Kyleen Downes just recently recorded and produced her first solo album, ‘Maybe Sometimes.’ She spent a full week here with me recording, arranging, and adding production to her songs. At the end of the week, many laughs and good times later, she came out with 7 songs perfected and recorded that she had written over the past 10 years.
Kyleen Downes during production recording acoustic guitar
It was a such great time for me working with her on her music, even though we didn’t meet face to face until the first day of recording. I had been listening to the demos for months in advance and having many conversations with Kyleen about the songs and vision leading up to the official recording dates.
When it came time to meet and start this recording journey it felt like we had already known each other for years and everything came from an organic place.
I hope to work with Kyleen in the future on more of her music, especially since this first album seemed to fly by so fast and was so much fun.
“Maybe Sometimes” Album Cover
In the words of Kimberly Weiss of Music Connection Dayton here is her review and what she had to say about the album.
Kyleen Downes has been performing these songs for a number of years, but her creativity, sense of fun, and humbleness came together earlier this year in a Kickstarter campaign that went viral on a local level, reaching her goal of $1500 in just 12 hours and garnering more than double her original goal overall by the end of the campaign (You can click HERE to watch her amazinging Kickstarter video!) Everyone who contributed to her Kickstarter felt it was way past time for Kyleen’s music to be put down on a quality recording for the world to hear, and thanks to the love of 60+ backers, Kyleen’s debut album ‘Maybe Sometimes’ will be available this July!
Most of the time, you’ll see Kyleen performing solo with just an acoustic guitar to back her up, so it was just fantastic to hear her music developed on a deeper level on ‘Maybe Sometimes’! It’s not some super ramped up production of her music. Most of the songs stay very laid back and true to her solo performances, but she adds these great little touches on songs like “Keep Your Ways” and “Perfect Ending”, whether its percussion, piano, or ukulele, that help round out the song and amplify the depth of emotion personified in each piece. There’s a very Folksy, Americana kind of feeling to most of the album, but don’t even think about putting her music in a box! ‘Maybe Sometimes’ has some cool indie rock flavors in there to satisfy your appetite as well!
She has this subtle ability, a kind of matter-of-fact way of saying things, that can make you laugh and smile and giggle without thinking “This is a funny song”, and for that reason, my favorite song on the album is definitely “Talk Like You Don’t Know.” I love it when she performs this live, and it’s just as good here on ‘Maybe Sometimes’! Kyleen has lived and breathed these lyrics, and the honesty they bestow upon the listener is not easily matched. Her phrasing has an unexpected quality about it that will keep you guessing with delight as to where she’ll go next, so for some good surprises, check out “Things Change,” and “Take Me On”!
For the full write up and review you can check it out here.
Here is the lead off track to the album “Keep Your Ways”