Bryan Gorsira: Press

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so far
Song List: Searching, Give Me A Day, Hello (Reprise), Caught, The Best Years, New World, Something Right, Again, StepChild, Ramble

Bryan Gorsira's new album so far brings together his original songs, new and old, in a collection that features the singer/songwriter-styled aspects of his repertoire. Where past efforts have moved swiftly across genres and moods reflective of his broad musical influences, Gorsira's aim with so far is to create a more cohesive compilation of his writing. In addition to the new songs, on which he sings and plays guitar, so far's ten tracks come from his 2008 release, The Best Years, and 2007's New World.

so far is self-described as being made up of songs "about searching for that hard to catch mate, finding him or her, and enjoying it all when caught." And what is clear on this album, as with The Best Years, is that Gorsira has an immense amount of love that he has chosen to express through his songs. His lyrics are sincere, heartfelt, and present to the listener a genuine story of love found and thoroughly embraced.

"Something Right" captures an any-day moment...

Wife is working hard putting flowers in the dirt
Her garden hands are turning brown
Throws me a smile that still melts my heart
I just nod and walk my way

And all is right with my world today
Let the sun shine down


Sparse and simple, the new songs "Something Right," "Again," and "StepChild" anchor so far's second half. His lead vocal, mellow and controlled, adds an even more personal touch to his songs. His voice comes across delightfully unpolished, completely on target melodically but with a meekness that befits the humble thankfulness in the lyrics.

12.20.2009 - Wiley Koepp

Bryan Gorsira has found a way to contribute a gilt-edged album to the Americana music world.

Truly remarkable songwriting and a profound emotional waterfall of real music gives Bryan's addition to the independent music world, a poignant and double edged musical blow.

With elegant classical guitar vibes and the amazing vocal stylings of Dana Cooper and Julie Forrester, (who Bryan uses on many of these tracks) the musical canvas they've painted is absolutely Picassoesque.

Influences from the Bare Naked Ladies, Neil Young, Crosby Stills & Nash among others are apparent throughout and with company like this, there's no telling how far Bryan can take his collection of musical gems.

Producer Tom Manche has expertly kept the rough edges where required but also added a few nice tricks of his own. All of this makes a pretty impressive record, especially by one who claims himself to be an ‘amateur’. If that’s true, then there’s a few pros who should be looking over their shoulders at Bryan Gorsira.

Bryan Gorsira – The Best Years
2008, Bryan Gorsira

What is a a 50 year old Wildlife Biologist doing putting out on CD? That would probably be your first question, and you'd be right to ask it. Bryan Gorsira has been writing songs for over thirty years. By his own admission he is not the performer he might like to be, so he's enlisted the help of some very talented people to help make his musical vision shine (Tom Manche, Dana Cooper and Julie Forester, to name a few). The first thing you should know is that Bryan Gorsira is actually a talented songwriter, and with the musical guidance of Tom Manche, has created a surprisingly pleasing collection of singer/songwriter tunes called The Best Years.

The title track sounds like something that could have been a #1 hit on 1980's country radio, and wouldn't fare too badly in today's market either. Caught is a piano ballad ala early Tori Amos (without Faerie talk). Love Is Pain is a definite keeper as kind of a blues-tinged country tune. Carry Me Away dances right into honky-tonk territory and will have your toes tapping. New World is another song that might have some commercial potential on Adult Contemporary radio, and Hide My Heart is worth picking this disc up for.

This is an interesting collection. There are flashes of brilliance here, and there are some things that just didn't work for me. The high points are good enough to make The Best Years worth having. I am certain that most readers will find something here that speaks to them, which speaks more to the success of Bryan Gorsira's songwriting than I ever could.

Rating: 3.5 Stars (Out of 5)

Bryan Gorsira – Giving us his ‘Best’

It seems the world can thank Bryan Gorsira’s wife for her husband’s music. Not only is she the inspiration for much of the material on The Best Years – a collection of the best of Bryan’s work over the last three decades – but without her he may never even have started recording his songs.

Bryan has been writing songs and strumming his acoustic guitar all across America since growing up listening to the great singer-songwriters of the 1970s. But it was only when he decided to record one of his creations professionally as a present for his wife that he realised he could produce a whole album himself.

Anyone hearing this charming, understated but resonant music for the first time will be grateful that Bryan did finally have this revelation. “Humility, with a world-worn wisdom” is how his college-days playing partner accurately describes the mood of Bryan’s songs.

While the warmth of the music can be felt through every song on The Best Years, the styles range far and wide. Given that this is a record some 30 years in the making, this is hardly surprising. From the tender romanticism of the title track through to the Latin inspired Caught and the mystical, other-worldly Generations, The Best Years is an ever-evolving album.

Bryan’s songwriting skills are as at home picking his way through the folksy Americana that is at the heart of all his music as he is upping the tempo for the more blues and soul influence tracks such as Carry Me Away. The voice of Dana Cooper (who Bryan uses on many of these tracks), like the best country and blues artists, sounds like that of a man brought up on bourbon, Lucky Strikes and heartache. Add in to the mix the vocal talents of Julie Forrester, who brings a soulful female touch to many of these songs, and you have a pretty rich musical tapestry.

Producer Tom Manche has expertly kept the rough edges where required but also added a few nice tricks of his own. All of this makes a pretty impressive record, especially by one who claims himself to be an ‘amateur’. If that’s true, then there’s a few pros who should be looking over their shoulders at Bryan Gorsira.

The Best Years is available to buy now.

Strong Adult Contemporary/Rock CD about Life and Love
author: Lea and the RadioIndy.com Reviewer Team
“The Best Years” by Bryan Gorsira is a contemporary, adult folk rock CD that is filled with a pleasant, gentle ambience and positive, loving messages about life and love. On “The Best Years” Bryan gives tribute to special relationships between those who choose to share a lifetime together. This album seems to have something for almost everyone. It has a mellow quality throughout but with a lot of variety. As a songwriter Bryan shines. He portrays the feelings of life in a way that gives each of us a peek into who we are and into our own life and experiences. Bryan's outstanding, relevant songwriring is nicely embodied in the talents of the excellent vocalists and musicians featured on the CD. “New World” celebrates love and romance and the joys of having a child. "Caught" features an especially noteworthy female vocal performance and a quite acoustic/piano arrangement that has a Kate Bush quality to it with a harmony-filled chorus. "Love is Pain" has a strong rock groove, effect ive male vocals, and cool harmonica riffs. If you enjoy adult contemproary/rock music that exudes family values and real-life experiences, you will enjoy this CD.

Style :
Rate (1-5) : ****

Not so long ago I discussed the quite pleasant album "New World", by Bryan
Gorsira. His music is hard to define and while I go for Americana the man
himself prefer the moniker Independent Music. Whatever you choose, the
fact is his tunes are rather enjoyable and often create a fairylike
atmosphere. "The best years" is a 12 track album, composed out of tunes
that Bryan wrote over the years. Some are brand new others are years old.
Hence the difference in styles! Two tracks were already on his previous
album (New world and Give me a day) but for the rest, everything is
freshly recorded! Like I said the styles are a mixed bag here from soulful
tunes over a Neil Young inspired song to relaxing songs and everything in
between.


Opener "The best Years" is a hidden gem for sure. Very romantic both in
music and lyrics, Dana Cooper duets on this tune with one of the female
singers that keep returning throughout the album. (Julie Forester). More
romantic sounds can be found on the "Caught". This is for me the best new
tune on the album for sure. (Although "Give me the day", which is reprised
on this album is still my number 1 favorite). On "Caught" we hear snares
in a typical Spanish style, not quite flamenco, but definitely Latin
inspired. "Generations" sprouts a more mystic atmosphere, due to a
repetitive guitar riff and enigmatic voice. "Carry Me Away" is one of
those tunes that burst with blues and soul influences. Rocking good stuff
with a nice horn section that makes you swing in no time. "Wash Me" takes
the musical journey to another place. New Orleans infested roots rock is
without doubt the best description I can give for this music. It's really
quite amazing what that guy delivers over and over again. On "Another Old
day" the music sounds like Marillion. Hardly roots rock, I know but like I
said before these tunes are representing many years of songwriting and
thus sprouting out all kinds of styles and genres.

The Best Years is not a compilation of any sort, It is simply said is the
second album of Bryan Gorsira who brings joy and entertainment with his
music! While many styles and genres on one album are often resulting in a
mixed bag that isn't interesting at all, Gorsira and producer Tom Manche
wonderfully works this out as a musical journey. Once more "The Best
Years" is an album that grows on you but once you have it under your skin,
I'm pretty sure it'll be hard to let it go.

Mr. Blue Boogie

Style : Americana
Rate (1-5): ****

NEW WORLD by BRYAN GORSIRA is a kind of oddball in the billybop collection if you ask me. A mixture of Americana, country and folk, this album has 16 tracks which all are written by Bryan himself but only 5 of them are sung by the man. The other 11 tracks are produced by Tom Manche and sung by John Adams. Nothing special you might say, well not exactly. These tunes were handed over by Bryan by mail in kind of demo version and then Tom and his gang reworked the songs into something new. Bryan is not much of a musician as he explains himself, but at the turning point of fifty he wanted to do something that would remain (call it midlife crises if you like), so he decided to record a couple of songs he wrote over the past 30 years and handed them over to Tom Manche who created something really exciting according to Bryan.

Most of the tunes are in Country folk finger picking style that is reminiscent to some sixties psychedelic tunes (track 5 “Into My Heart”), but others are clearly inspired by folk (track 3 “Days Roll By”), progressive rock (track 6 “Splintered Glass”), blues and gospel (track 7 “Take Me to The River”), rock (Track 8 “Sold”) or soul (track 14 “Satin Lace Fantasy”). It becomes quite obvious that these tunes are written over a time of thirty years since and thus this album is a mixed bag of styles and genres. But for once I don’t care about that as I don’t care about the fact that this isn’t a rockabilly or country album. The music is simply great and absolutely great for the season.

Check out Bryan Gorsira’s website or go directly to CD baby to hear some of his music.

Mr. Blue Boogie

The Best Years
Song List: The Best Years, Caught, Generations, Love Is Pain, Carry Me Away, Wash Me, Another Old Day, New World, Where Have You Been, Gonna Take A While, Hide My Heart

Bryan Gorsira has written songs for decades, and twelve of them from his recent and distant past comprise his latest effort, The Best Years. The album ranges as greatly in style as it does in date-of-composition, including aspects of singer/songwriter sentimentality, backwoods zydeco, boogie woogie, and even a diversion into prog rock balladeering.

The album begins delightfully with its title track, a dedication to his wife and children that clarifies just which of his years have been the best. With a lyrical simplicity and sincerity reminiscent of Randy Travis' "Forever And Ever Amen," Gorsira's mid-tempo tribute features sparse instrumentation accented nicely by violin and backing vocals. Among the various genres tapped into throughout the album, this track hints that Gorsira's later-in-life singer/songwriter explorations yield his best writing.

"Caught," with a notably more ominous minor-keyed tone, introduces female lead and harmony vocals by Dana Cooper and Julie Forester. Melodically, "Love Is Pain" takes on a Neil Young "Heart Of Gold" feel, complete with a dynamic harmonica lead. "Carry Me Away" shifts to a boogie woogie piano-centered shuffle, followed by a zydeco-influenced gospel redemption song, "Wash Me." The genre-shifting goes into high gear with the mysterious phaser-heavy "Another Old Day," with its alternating electric guitar and flute leads harkening to a 70's progressive rock influence.

Gorsira hits his stride in The Best Years with the album's final five songs. With more sparse instrumentation, his lyrics become the focus. His stories of everyday emotions are certainly endearing and compelling aspects of his writing: "Give me a day and a bottle of wine / and the sun shinin' sweet / an open field with flowers / and you and I'm complete." But it is his love for his wife and children that comes across strongest and most genuine, and accordingly has become his most convincing songwriting inspiration. "I'm so glad you're here with me / I'm glad she dropped into our lives / stay a while and we will see / what kind of family we can be."

The Best Years is an enjoyable listen, even with its significant style shifts and genre hops. Though I do not have dates of each song's penning, the album gives the impression that Gorsira's songwriting strengthened after a familial infusion of strong, heartfelt emotions. And whereas this album combines songs old and new, resulting in some inconsistencies, Bryan Gorsira's best album is very likely yet-to-come, once each and every lyric, chord, and note are drawn from the same well of inspiration.

12.04.2008 - Wiley Koepp

I like your lyrics. They evoke gritty images, but show vulnerability at the same time. Nice blend. Humility, but with a world-worn wisdom. I hear more of a Rascal Flats/Brooks & Dunn/Montgomery Gentry influence now. I love the Cajun accordion/keyboard on Song #7

I thought the lyrics were both intelligent and beautifully vivid. While I thought the guy doing the majority of the vocals was great, I must say some of my favorites featured Brayn singing. He has a distinct sound that really compliments the songs.

I heard a touch of Cat Stevens in some of the songs.

It was like listening to a beloved CD like Dan Folgelburg or Van Morrison -- but better with my beloved country kick.

Good songwriter!