Standout Nashville-based guitarist Leilani Kilgore – who has been hailed by Guitar World, SPIN, Loud Hailer Magazine and numerous others – has released her highly-anticipated debut album, Tell Your Ghost, which is now available digitally on all streaming platforms, as well as on CD and vinyl.
Tell Your Ghost – produced by Kilgore herself – showcases the prodigious guitar skills and knack for compelling songwriting that have garnered her such widespread critical acclaim. Spanning nine diverse tracks, the album also reflects Kilgore’s eagerness to expand her sonic profile by fearlessly embracing more elements of rock and alternative music while still paying homage to her roots in the blues.
Kilgore has built and solidified a reputation as one of the most talented and highly regarded guitar acts in the industry. Hundreds of shows across the U.S. and internationally have cemented her status as a can’t-miss live performer and helped her build a robust, enthusiastic following, and she has released a string of successful singles that have accumulated hundreds of thousands of streams. But after a series of both professional and personal challenges in recent years, the West Coast native decided the time was right to finally release a full-length album.
“It was really important to be able to prove to myself, and others as well, that I was capable of putting out an album after focusing solely on singles for so long and that it was something actually worth doing,” notes Kilgore. “Admittedly, I also had a lot to get off my chest after facing a number of issues over the past few years and recording this album became a kind of therapy because I was able to tap into and emotionally process those struggles in what is probably the most natural and healthy way for me – through music.”
Tell Your Ghost includes three of Kilgore’s previously-released singles – the thumping and energetic “High/Low” that serves as the album’s opener, the mesmerizing, scaled back “Early Grave” that provides a stellar example of both Kilgore’s artistic versatility and growth as a songwriter and the raucous banger “Wish You Were Dead,” which delivers a healthy dose of infectious, crunchy guitars and the kind of raw energy for which she is known.
It also features “Spanish Moss,” which Kilgore counts as perhaps her favorite on the album and represents everything that gets her excited about songwriting, and the album-closing “I See Stars,” an emotional and poignant track that she predicts may catch listeners a bit off guard.
Although regarded primarily as a blues artist throughout her career, Kilgore approached the recording process intent on making sure her debut album had a more rock-centric
sound and an overall feel that mirrors her live performances, and she went about executing that vision in part by deciding to produce Tell Your Ghost herself.
“Ultimately, I realized that the best way to capture the sound I was looking for on the album was to produce it myself,” she says. “I wanted this record to sound like we do as a band when we play live and to capture the same energy and synergy we have when we’re on stage together. Making that happen in essentially only three days in the studio was definitely a challenge at times but I think we accomplished what we set out to do and I’m incredibly proud of the final product.”
Tell Your Ghost Track Listing
1. ‘High/Low’
2. “Back to You”
3. “Spanish Moss”
4. “Early Grave”
5. “Creepin’”
6. “Burn”
7. “Can’t Take it Back”
8. “Wish You Were Dead”
9. “I See Stars”
All songs on Tell Your Ghost were written and produced by Leilani Kilgore. She is joined on the record by Jon Wisecarver (guitar), Josh Rice (bass) and David Keith (drums).
Lauded by Guitar World for her “killer vibe and chops to back it up,” Leilani Kilgore is a bona fide rising star whose distinctive, blistering rock sound features elements of soulful blues and fearless, unapologetic emotional expression.
The West Coast native first began playing professionally at the age of 14 before honing her skills with performance- and guitar-focused training at the renowned Berklee College of Music, and she has garnered critical acclaim throughout the industry for her prodigious musicianship and immense sonic profile ever since.
Kilgore, dubbed a “must-see live performer” by Loud Hailer Magazine, has notched hundreds of shows and festivals both in the U.S. and internationally, including headlining slots on legendary stages like Sturgis Buffalo Chip and Summerfest, and she has opened for such renowned acts as Buddy Guy, Lita Ford, 38 Special, The Dead Daisies (feat. Glenn Hughes and Doug Aldrich) and Tommy Castro.
Kilgore has released numerous successful singles since arriving in Nashville that have accumulated hundreds of thousands of streams and earned her a large, loyal following nationwide. In the Fall of 2025, she will release her debut full-length album, Tell Your Ghost, a nine-song collection that not only captures her prodigious guitar skills, but her artistic versatility and evolution as a songwriter as well.