Gene Swift Band
Zinjanthropus Man
Swift Music, Ltd.
Street: 12.21.12
Gene Swift Band = Neil Young – Crazy Horse + Jimmy Buffet

I don’t know whether this album by Lehi-native Gene Swift is a ballsy effort to recapture a long-forgotten sound, or a compilation of nostalgic Americana clichés. Swift and his ensemble tackle songs about Harleys, open mountain skies and the folksy concept of “not all who wander are lost,” but they do so in a way that feels too familiar. Thematically, the album doesn’t veer too far from its classic rock roots. When it does, it’s thanks to an ever-changing crew of local musicians like Jill Sissell and Leraine Hortsmanshoff, whose talents help diversify an album that could have easily been nothing more than an homage to Dylan-esque protest-folk. Regardless, anyone who has a serious hankering for some circa-1968 American folk-rock will be well pleased with Swift’s sophomore album. –Alex Springer