Gypsy Soul – The Journey / 2006 Off The Beaten Track / 11 Tracks /http://www.gypsysoul.com / http://www.worldsound.com / Reviewed 28 April 2006

Hints of Sarah McLachlan immediately present themselves in “Promises and Lies”, the opening track to Gypsy Soul’s “The Journey”. This means that there are hints of country and pop rock, much in the same vein of Annette and Preeta. The style of the music that Gypsy Soul comes up with is not anything that is truly experimental, but is something that is bold and new given the repetitive state of pop music. What listening to a song like “Won’t Be Wronged” will do is bring a listener back to the days of Jewel, where there was at least a shade of talent present in pop music.

What Cilette does with eir vocals during “Won’t Be Wronged” is the closest that Gypsy Soul gets to the pitiable state of pop music, as ey relies on rthe extraneous vocal trills popularized by hacks like Mariah Carey and Christina Aguilera. The only thing that separates Gypsy Soul from these artists have to be the talent that is shown in both the musical and arrangement sides of things. The same style of vocal trills are present during “Letting You Go”, but Gypsy Soul again treads the line between brilliance and mediocrity, ultimately choosing to move into brilliance when Cilette’s vocals take on a Reba McEntire type of sound for the track.

Each of the songs is a blend of pop, rock, and country tracks, the final result of which is that Gypsy Soul works on a style that has not been heard up to this point. The band has been around for a few years, so it is nice to hear that they have been able to cultivate a style that is uniquely theirs, while still working on a wavelength that is predicated on the work of previous artists. Each of the tracks on “The Journey” is inspiring in its own way, but it will take a specific breed of listeners to properly appreciate the music that “The Journey” has on it. Gypsy Soul play a type of pop music that only has an equal in strength in acts like Air Supply and The Carpenters, and fans of either of those acts should search out and purchase this album. Nearing an hour, the album has enough material on it to play over and over, without the compositions within getting old in the least. Keep it going, Gypsy Soul, and let the world know your music.

Top Tracks: One More Day, Test of Time

Rating: 5.7/10

[JMcQ]