Gypsy Dave (http://www.thegypsydave.com) is a young man with an old soul. Given his youth, one can forgive him for neglecting to publish his lyrics in both his CD booklet and website. When it comes to folk music, especially the Woody Guthrie-esque style that Dave adopts here, words are essential.
Perhaps Dave is challenging us, making us really listen to each track carefully for his lyrics. Certainly, he is a good writer, which is more the reason why it would be so welcome to read his words. The worker's anthem "Union Man" takes us back to those Guthrie days. With his nasal delivery and simple strumming, Dave delivers a straightforward folk song straight from the heart of the blue-collar man, more specifically Pennsylvania coal miner Albert Morgan in 1946.
When it isn't Guthrie that he is channeling, Dave recalls vintage Bob Dylan (before he went electric and angered the folk purists) on "Goin' Down the Road" and "A Tale of Two Sorrows." But Dave has an affection for classic country, too, which is truly evident on "Mama Didn't Tell Me."
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While "My Dog Fred" plays it for laughs, for the most part Dave is a serious young fellow who is trying to find his own voice in the folk scene. The authentic rootsy qualities of his music provide him with all the credibility he needs to be respected in the field, but it's the title track that'll impress people the most. On it, Dave doesn't sound like Guthrie or Dylan, just a young man struggling to find his own place in the world. I reckon he will one day; in the meantime, this is quite a promising debut.
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