Kyle began her professional career in music when she traveled to
Dingle, Ireland, in 2011 and recorded her debut album
Monongah, a mix of Celtic, Appalachian folk, and literary elements that would become the trademark of her unique 'Gaelic Americana' style. The album was produced by
Lùnasa guitarist Donogh Hennessy and the title track inspired by a poem of the same title by Appalachian poet
Louise McNeill. Among the musicians who contributed are Irish singers
Pauline Scanlon, former
Cherish the Ladies member Aoife Clancy, former
The Cottars member Rosie MacKenzie, as well as bassist
Trevor Hutchinson.
Monongah was well received by reviewers and included by respected music critic Patricia Herlevi at
World Music Central in her choice of "Top 10 World Music albums of 2011". In 2012 Kyle toured the
Netherlands with Dutch guitarist
Bart-Jan Baartmans. In 2013 Kyle released an EP of traditional May carols called
One Morning in May, a collaborative project with English BBC Folk Award-winning duo
Josienne Clarke and Ben Walker. The collection contains three traditional British May carols, as well as an arrangement of the well-known folk ballad "
One Morning in May". In September 2014 Kyle released her second full-length album,
North Star. Produced by
Séamus Egan, the album features nine originals, two songs in Scottish Gaelic, and a cover of "Across the Great Divide" by
Kate Wolf. Artists who contributed to the album include
Dirk Powell,
Natalie Haas,
Pauline Scanlon,
Chris Stout and Scottish percussionist James MacKintosh of
Capercaillie.
North Star was ranked No. 7 in the "Top Albums of September 2014" by the Acoustic Music Scene. In January 2018 Kyle released her third full-length album,
The Art of Forgetting on the
World Music Network, record label 'Riverboat Records'. The album was produced by
Dirk Powell and includes eight originals, three songs in Scottish Gaelic, and a cover of "Trouble in the Fields" by
Nanci Griffith. Literary influences in Carey's original songs include the poetry of
Louise McNeill,
Edna St. Vincent Millay,
Elizabeth Bishop,
Robert Frost and
W. B. Yeats, as well as the prose of
Charles Dickens. Guest artists on the album included
Rhiannon Giddens,
John McCusker,
Mike McGoldrick, Sam Broussard, Kai Welch and James MacKintosh.
The Art of Forgetting landed at #3 on the January 2018 Folk DJ Charts and #24 on the February 2018 Euroamericana Charts. Influential Webzine 'PopMatters' named it one of the '20 Best Folk Albums of 2018'. In December 2020 Kyle released a holiday EP entitled 'Ash & Amaryllis: Songs for a Winter's Night'. The album was recorded in Woodstock, NY and produced by Julie Last. The EP was originally conceptualized as a duet between voice and double bass and features Lou Pappas on the upright bass. In September 2025, Kyle released her fourth full-length album, ‘The Last Bough’ which was produced by Kai Welch, recorded in Nashville and features such artists as
Ruth Moody,
Anthony Da Costa, Christian Sedelmyer and
Micheal McGoldrick. The album chronicles her and her husband Carmine’s struggles with infertility, the birth of their son Asher, and their first years as a young family in their self-made tiny house on wheels. KYLE CAREY – The Last Bough In September 2025, ‘The Last Bough’ was #9 on the FAI Folk Charts and #20 on the Euro Americana Charts for the month of November . == Personal life ==