On one level, John Gorka's live album The Gypsy Life functions as a handy introduction to the prolific singer/songwriter's oeuvre. The Pure anthology is a great summation of his early work, but it only covers his tenure with Windham Hill's High Street imprint. The Gypsy Life boasts plenty of Gorka's greatest early tunes, like the tough-minded ode to anger "Mean Streak" and the heartbroken, poetic "I Saw a Stranger with Your Hair," but it also extends to latter-day material like the soldier's memoir "Writing in the Margins" and the sociopolitically savvy "Road of Good Intentions." At the same time, the album offers anyone interested in truly understanding this perennial road dog's approach an opportunity to hear him in his natural habitat, as he feeds off the audience's enthusiasm and returns it a hundredfold via his rich, soulful baritone and no-nonsense acoustic guitar momentum. Short of actually seeing Gorka in person, there's no more direct way to experience the vivid, visceral rush of his shows.