Leroy Gomez: Gypsy Woman [Full Album + Bonus] (1978)

Leroy Gomez was born in Massachusetts and came to Europe to tour with Tavares in the early 70s as their sax player, during the time he also played on Elton John’s Goodbye Yellow Brick Road album. His big break, however, came in 1977 when he fronted French studio project Santa Esmeralda as their lead vocalist and hit massive with Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood, only to be sacked as the lead singer shortly after due to disagreements with Santa Esmeralda’s producers. A settlement was agreed with Casablanca Records to launch Gomez as a solo artist and he was paired with disco producer Simon Soussan who had enjoyed a hit with Shalamar’s Uptown Festival the year before. The result was the album Gypsy Woman centered around a flamenco-inspired rework of The Impressions’ track from 1961, and a similarly extended rework of Ben E. King’s Spanish Harlem. The other tunes were originals penned by Leroy Gomez, proving that not only is he a gifted singer, but also a strong songwriter. The alb