Before writing this review I took a look at those I’d penned in 2011 and 2012 about the music from Kegan DeBoheme’s band The Gypsy Bangles. I remembered them as a bit of a rock and roll throwback, a remnant from music’s heyday. There are certainly elements of that in Kegan’s solo effort Songs of Woe, but this is more than just same old thing.
It’s interesting that The Gypsy Bangles recordings I listened to had just four tracks each. They gave a mere glimpse at an act. I wonder whether in Songs of Woe Kegan had more space to spread out creatively, or whether he’d have always done that if The Gypsy Bangles recordings were longer. At any rate, with 12 tracks to play with Songs of Woe is an album of more diversity. It’s also one that feels a lot more intimate. Kegan’s roughened voice is strong through this album, ably supported by the music rather than fighting through it as he sometimes did with the Gypsy Bangles. The instrumentation is just that bit simpler, and that draws you in.
Kegan’s love of classic rock still shines through, whether it’s on his covers of Jim Croce’s “Operator” and Rodriguez’s “Sugarman” (which is incidentally far better than the dancey version floating around the charts) or original songs that capture the period like “Flowers (For a Brother)” or “Where Has the Summer Gone?” Yet there other forces at play here. “Gone Tomorrow” and “Rose Painted Gold” feel as if they could sit comfortably on a grungy record from the 90s. Despite beginning a lot like a Steely Dan track, “The Setting Sun” sounds like what Dion might have done if he’d gone on to play with Alice in Chains. I really enjoyed the laidback acoustic jam of “Inner City Blues.”
Kegan DeBoheme might be without his Gypsy Bangles bandmates with his solo album, but the music has enough similarities to those earlier recordings to satisfy long-time fans. However, Songs of Woe isn’t just about doing the same old thing. It’s a bit rougher, rawer, and dare I say it, more honest. It’s far from the perfect record. Certain sections feel a bit derivative, and others are a slog. I’m still not sure whether we’re hearing Kegan or simply Kegan’s influences in his music, but I’m enjoying listening to the journey.
Songs of Woe is available now through Kegan DeBoheme’s Bandcamp page.