Leslie Bowe – Gypsy

Leslie Bowe – Gypsy / 2006 Arro / 10 Tracks / http://www.lesliebowe.com / Reviewed 08 November 2006

The title track shows Leslie Bowe as a singer that is in the Edwin McCain style of indie rock. There is a certain timeless nature to eir music that will increase listenership, for sure. However hopeful and smooth Bowe’s vocals are on this track, the fact remains that Bowe brings a delightful despair for anyone that is listening to the disc. This same soulful sound is present during “Fall”, which has more of a vocals on the vocals of Bowe than the instrumentation that plays an integral part in the background. The track positions itself in a smooth jazz meets adult contemporary vein, and even though the song is about six minutes, Bowe makes the time go by quickly.

The more direct approach done by Bowe during “Mr. Man” keeps things interesting. The production of the disc allows for individuals that might pick up this album to go forth and stick this on a radio station or their iPod. There are a lot of individuals that are trying to do exactly what Leslie Bowe is doing on “Gypsy”, but Bowe surpasses all of them with a strong yet flexible approach to the creative process. One has to stick with the track for a few minutes, but “Mr. Man” has a shift in Bowe’s sound that allows for a layered vocal approach to really wow listeners.

One should just keep listening to the entirety of “Gypsy”, starting at track one and listening to the rest of the disc. Each subsequent track on the disc is a stronger effort by Leslie Bowe, and ey just is more and more impressive with each minute that ticks by. There are few direct comparisons that one can make to other artists during the runtime of “Gypsy”. Individuals just need to listen in to the smooth pop, jazz, light rock approach of Bowe and be swept away for the better part of forty-five minutes. Hopefully the right people find this disc and can give Bowe the publicity that ey deserves. I know, after listening to this disc, that I will be paying much more attention to the travails of Leslie Bowe. Here’s to hoping that ey can cut a few more albums that share the same quality of “Gypsy”. The talent and skill is present, but success on Bowe’s part is dependent on whether ey can come up with the same inspired music that is created with every track on “Gypsy”.

Top Tracks: It’s You, Mr. Man

Rating: 7.3/10

[JMcQ]