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The Sounding Board by R J Lannan |
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RJ Lannan is the reviewer for The Sounding Board. |
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| Beneath The Covers: A Rediscovery |
| By Gypsy Soul |
| Label: Off The Beaten Track Recordings |
| Released 4/24/2007 |
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| Beneath The Covers: A Rediscovery tracks |
1. I Still Haven't Found What I Am Looking For (U2) 
2. Nights In White Satin (Moody Blues)
3. Lovin' Me
4. Wicked Game (Chris Isaak)
5. Superstition (Stevie Wonder)
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6. Blackbird (The Beatles)
7. One Thing
8. Still Water (Daniel Lanois)
9. Take Me Home, Country Roads (John Denver)
10. Silver Lining
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Let No Man Put Asunder |
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It is not coincidental that Gypsy Soul is the perfect marriage of voice and music. The combination of a great songwriter and a terrific singer is always news. Gypsy Soul is the union of Cilette Swann and Roman Morykit. They are two independent artists that have taken the system by surprise and actually flourished in the dog eat dog world of musical entrepreneurship. Their new independently produced album Beneath the Covers: A Rediscovery, their 8th, is a tour de force in musical history. As some of you may know I am not fond of covers, but this album has diametrically changed my opinion that someone can do a song equal to or better than the original.
Cilette's voice is as unique as a rose petal, soft, sweet and heart touching. She compares to no one and she is superior to many. Roman's guitar is harmonious and his style complimentary, but not overpowering to the voice. The husband and wife duo have been performing all around the globe for more than a decade garnering fans where they temporarily hung their hats. Their popularity has grown exponentially with the advent of digital downloads. Plastic or megabytes?
Taking on one of the most popular songs in Progressive Rock history, Gypsy Soul has rendered The Moody Blues 1967 hit Nights in White Satin into a sweet ballad with Cilette's voice silky smooth over a song of unrequited love. At least that‘s the story on the song. Although this is a shortened version of the song, the beauty and emotion remain intact and is of course, one of my favorites.
Lovin' Me has got that "I’ve heard this before feeling", but it is an original tune by Gypsy Soul and an excellent one at that. It sounds like something Alison Krauss would do similar to Oh, Atlanta on her Now That I found You album. Cilette does this bluesy tune like she just slipped out of the bayou and will be gone in an instant. One of the best cuts on the album.
Producer/composer and now ambient artist Daniel Lanois’ Still Water from his debut album Acadie is a mesmerizing tale of travel and brotherhood. Is it wanderlust or a journey in search of discovery? Once again we look to history.
"Sad eyes in the weary night
Have you seen your brother,
have you seen your brother?
Waiting by the river Grand
Caledonia river oh, so wide."
Gypsy Soul also offers hits by Stevie Wonder, U2, John Denver, Chris Isaak and the Beatles, but another original tune, Silver Lining is the final cut and I save the best for last. Roman's dreamy guitar shadows Cilette's whispery vocal on a tune that looks for the positive in life. Oh yeah, there's ups and downs, but if we look with the right vision, the chaste heart, the open mind we can always see the silver lining. This song could set the tone for a whole other album and should.
"I’m going to chase the sun,
And like the river I will run
I’m going to dance in the wind,
And like the willow I will bend
All I've learned I am finding,
In the light of the silver lining."
Gypsy Soul's original music is humble and clean and their covers are rendered with aplomb and emotion. I hope that they never lose those qualities. They have made me a believer again. I have to tell you, I’m joining the fan club. |
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Rating: Excellent  |
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- reviewed by RJ Lannan on 3/19/2007 |
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