When Leonard Met Dolly is the first album that Romain Gutsy recorded under his own name. It’s a deeply cinematic piece, a solemn and powerful piece of folk rock that are diverse in style and encompass a rich range of soundscapes. Romain’s voice is distinctively powerful and loaded, he bears with him so much scale and grandiosity in just his vocals alone. Even when the instrumental arrangements might be a bit more restrained or mellowed, ‘When Leonard Met Dolly’ doesn’t let you down on the the charisma. Through a wonderfully deployed twelve string guitar and a powerful folk performance, the record brings buckets of soul. The vocal duet from Romain and Sarah adds another dimension on each piece as well.
There are songs that are more simple but endearing, like ‘By Being Kind’. Here Gutsy brings out a much more jingle driven folk song that simply radiates positivity and glee. ‘If I Were to Extend Myself Everywhere’ incorporates a poignant acoustic riff with a subtle but imposing electric backing to it all. Romain Gutsy doesn’t sound like an artist from 2022, most of the songs having me reminisce to the arrangements, lyricism, and performance of an artist like Cat Stevens or Neil Young.
It’s a refreshing album for its roots. It takes the timeless quality of another time and delivers a collection of songs that range from more hippy folk to the more timeless British Folk. Any fan of folk music, especially the roots of the genre, will be delighted to uncover this hidden gem.