Ten Penny Gypsy

Justin Patterson and Laura Lynn Danley’s Ten Penny Gypsy are well-lauded in their Arkansas home base and have prospered as an ongoing act since their 2017 self-titled first release. Their studio follow-up Fugitive Heart features ten tracks in a similar vein as before and begins in fine fettle with “Making Headway”. I love the airy arrangements the pair embrace with these ten tracks and it soon becomes apparent producer Anthony Crawford plays an important role in shaping the album’s direction. Crawford is an alumnus with many distinguished artists including Steve Winwood and Neil Young, among others, and plays on the release as well. The bell-like clarity of “Making Headway” fuels its energy and gets Fugitive Heart off to enthusiastic start. 

URL: https://www.tenpennygypsy.com/ 

“Fugitive Heart”, the album’s title song, provides one of the release’s melodic peaks. The interplay between the limited number of instruments nevertheless weaves together in such a way the total effects dwarfs the sum of its individual parts. Attentive listeners will notice the arrangement possesses a carefully plotted trajectory but, despite its slight compositional predictability, The high points in the performance give it an understated dramatic edge many listeners will appreciate. “Highway 65” is more emotionally fraught than many tracks on the album, though it never falls prey to despair or self-pity. The theme of separation guiding the release is writ in bold with this track and the musical accompaniment invokes these themes with immense skill. Many of the tracks on Fugitive Heart mix the duo’s musical influences in subtle ways while others do so outright. 

The tracks “Lovely Melancholy” and “Road to Memphis” fall into the latter camp. Guitar open the song laying down the stylistic gauntlet with its twangy accent, but the remainder of the track shares the same pedigree, albeit is less obvious ways. Patterson and Danley tailor their vocal to the musical backing and achieve a spontaneous feeling that serves the song well. The upbeat tempo of “Lonesome No More” is another track, like “Making Headway”, bubbling with hope. A central theme does unite the album’s ten tracks but the duo explores a range of emotions under that unifying idea and this song falls into a specific “type” that strengthens the album overall. “Train Won’t Wait for Me” recalls the earlier “Lovely Melancholy” in the way it wears its country influences on its sleeve, but it’s never shallow mimicry. Even the presence of traditional country instrumentation such as steel guitar doesn’t conjure up that “high lonesome sound” you might expect but does up the song’s atmospheric strengths. 

 HEAR NOW: https://tenpennygypsy.hearnow.com/ 

This isn’t an album lacking any missteps, there are some moments less successful than others, but Ten Penny Gypsy’s Fugitive Heart constitutes a substantial advance over their first studio release and sets the table for an ever-brighter future. Laura Lynn Danley and Justin Patterson’s clear affinity for one another’s musical vision will, barring unforeseen developments, likely sustain their artistic relationship for many years to come. It’s a meaningful release, however, and never appeals to the lowest common denominator. The collection, though flawed, has real staying power. 

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Trace Whittaker

Newcastle-upon-Tyne

10/2020