Currently booking house concerts with Adorable Husband (aka bassist Bryan Beller). Wanna host one? Click the banner for more info then contact me.
Influences
Ay yi yi...Ray Charles, Willie Nelson, Aretha, Al Jarreau, Sam Cooke, Bonnie Raitt, Ella, Sarah V, Billie Holiday, Wynonna, Louis Armstrong, Etta James, Motown, Memphis, Muscle Shoals, Patsy Cline, Dolly Parton, Stevie Wonder, Delbert McClinton, Emmylou Harris, John Hiatt, Shawn Colvin, Jill Scott, Prince, Merle Haggard, Billy Joel, Burt Bacharach, Mellencamp, Janis Joplin, Lyle Lovett, I could go on but it'd just get weirder...my dad's eclectic record collection, Milwaukee High School of the Arts, Austin, TX.
Sounds Like
Buttah. Or.....
"A neat glass of single malt in a world of Michelob Ultra" - says Mike Reid
“Girl, you sound like a neat glass of single malt in a world of Michelob Ultra.” Those were the words of Grammy award-winning songwriter Mike Reid (“I Can’t Make You Love Me”) when he heard Kira Small sing. This slinky, sultry, soulful siren combines the smoothness of Norah Jones, the rawness of Bonnie Raitt, the hip-ness of Alicia Keys and the flat-out-wailing of Aretha Franklin to bring forth her mix of spellbinding original material and R&B classics.
While Nashville (her current home base) is most known for country music, there is a deep vein of southern soul and R&B running through it that Kira has tapped into, and it has become her lifeblood. What really happened is she found herself surrounded by a bunch of greasy old R&B dudes from the serious south and felt so at home they decided to make a record. That record is her latest CD, Love In A Dangerous World, which was produced by Bruce Dees (James Brown, Ronnie Milsap). It features numerous Motown and Muscle Shoals R&B veterans and sounds pretty much like rib meat falling off the bone.
How does this white chick from Wisconsin sound like anything but a white chick from Wisconsin? Who knows, who cares…it’s working. Maybe it was the gospel, jazz and R&B she discovered in high school. Maybe it was Berklee College of Music's many and varied influences. Maybe it was her years of soaking up soulfulness in Austin, TX. Maybe it was the position of the moon and stars at the precise moment of her birth. Whatever it was, this is an old soul speaking through a vibrant and powerful new voice.
Kira has followed her muse to many musical and geographical destinations. She sang and danced in production shows in San Antonio, witnessed Mardi Gras from behind the piano at Pat O’Brien’s, became a fixture in the Austin music scene, returned to Boston as a member of Berklee’s voice faculty in 1999, and finally (for now) landed in Nashville in 2001 where she has worked with Wynonna Judd, Martina McBride, Gretchen Wilson, Radney Foster, Alan Jackson, Ray Stevens, the Jordanaires, Jimmy Hall, Wayne Jackson of the Memphis Horns, and the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, among others.
Everything is good.... Life is so hectic being a mom and wife lol...It is wonderful though. One day we are gonna come out when you are playing in Nashville. I want Kyle to hear your music and I miss listening to you!
Kira you have NO idea how much I miss You!!! I see your status updates and I think " she is sooo busy, Ill never get to see her again!" lol. I am missing the "singer juice" most definitely! Your probably thinkin u want to kill me for putting crappy macbook recordings on here too Ha! Well.... We just love to have fun = ) Whatcha think of the name??
Hi Kira Small, Heaven & Earth is on hiatus now as Stuart Smith and Richie Onori have joined forces with bassist Steve Priest to reform "Sweet". For those of you unfamiliar with the band, Sweet originally formed in the early 70s and went on to sell over 40,000,000 albums with 11 International Top Ten Hits such as "Ballroom Blitz", "Little Willy", "Love is Like Oxygen", "Fox on the Run", "Teenage Rampage", "Action", "Blockbuster", "Hellraiser" and many others.
This reincarnation of the band reformed last year, playing their first show in June, and went on to play festivals throughout Canada and the States and had played to over 300,000 people before the year was out. During this tour last year they recorded a live CD available on Amazon entitled "Sweet, Live in America" which has received rave reviews - pick up a copy and please Add Sweet As Your Friend On Myspace!
Dear Kira, we are entranced by your albums! It's kind of like Memphis Minnie and Maria Muldaur decided to jam with Judy Garland and Mingus.
Blue Mime, NYC below. A MAJ Tom original shot which we hope you will find worthy of your profile comments for a while.
Thank you for being a friend to our ragged Band of Deserters. It's not Large, it's small. Yours, MAJ Tom, Comrade Ivanka, Harajuku Yuki, Boris, and our mascot and seer, Suki the Psychic Akita [also does sound checks]
Thanks for adding me. I'll keep an eye on your page and see what your up to. Please let me know when your buying merch and I'll help ya make it look sweet and at a great price...
Thanks so much and good luck! Bill Nishanian Music Imprints bill@musicimprints.com 615-829-6858
