The Journey

Album Review

All Music Guide classifies as a compilation any album that consists one-half or more of previously released recordings; by that score, The Journey, Gypsy Soul's fifth album, is almost — but not quite — a compilation. Of its 11 tracks, five have appeared on previous Gypsy Soul CDs (although they have been remastered here): "Won't Be Wrong" and "Talk to Me" were on Sanctuary (1998), and "Who," "Take Me Away," and "True Love (Scarborough Fair)" were on Superstition Highway (2000). A sixth song, "Test of Time," was the title tune on the group's 1995 debut album, but the version heard here is a stripped-down, acoustic re-recording. All of these are tracks that would be strong contenders if one actually were assembling a Gypsy Soul best-of, and several of the newly recorded songs also might make that list; at very least, they are representative. "Promises and Lies," the leadoff track, finds singer/lyricist Cilette Swann dressing down a romantic partner, while in the second song, "One More Day," she waxes philosophical about her own choices in life and those of others. These issues of intimacy and spirituality are typical of her lyrical concerns, which she expresses simply and directly. She sings the words in a compelling voice that may seem mannered occasionally, but is full of feeling. Roman Morykit, her partner in the duo, provides delicately played yet powerful musical support with his array of guitars, fretless bass, and percussion tracks, making for effective folk-rock arrangements with a new age slant. Since its inception, Gypsy Soul have been a group for people who worry that practically nobody other than artists over 50 is making thoughtful, melodic pop/rock music anymore. There are such artists, of course, but often, like Gypsy Soul, they're self-releasing their albums and having to promote them largely by themselves. The Journey marks an alliance between Gypsy Soul's Off the Beaten Track Records and the label SoundWorld, which may help explain why it's as much a retrospective as a new album. That very circumstance makes it a good starter CD for those looking for one disc to let them know what the group is like.