Ben Swift Band-Chimpanzee (1998)

(Illustration, Design, and Photography by Abbey Tyson)

There are a lot of reviews out there comparing the Ben Swift Band to the Dave Matthews Band, or at least lumping them into the "90's jam band" category. One Amazon customer reviewer (whom I will refrain from naming for their own safety) said something to the effect of "these guys basically do what Dave Matthews does, but better". In my opinion, the last way to win over a Dave Matthews Band (or "DMB" from here on in) fan is to suggest that there is someone else out there who "does it better"; his fans are pretty hardcore--like, "Deadhead" hardcore. If you openly suggested to a DMB fan that there was a similar group that "did it better" you would be put into a crate and shipped to a remote island where man is hunted for sport; and while the denizens of this island polished and mounted the heads from that day's hunt, they would debate, ad nauseum, what the best live version of "Two Step" is.

But let's be clear-the Ben Swift Band are NOT a DMB copy. Any similarities lie in the strengths of the respective bands/ performers, not via any attempt by the former to ape the latter. Those similarities include:
-Ben Swift's vocals are a formidable weapon-raspy and soulful, yet tuneful. So, like Dave Matthews, he is one of those rare "jam band" front-men whose voice is among the most potent things on show.
-They are song oriented. The jamming is incidental to the song-not the other way around.
-Brass instruments and mandolins pop up now and again.

Unlike many so-called "jam bands", there is a remarkable and refreshing concision to "Chimpanzee". The longest song on the album is the title track, which weighs in at a robust, but not overdone 5:54. What's more, the virtuoso qualities, limberness, and looseness of the songs actually feel magnified by the shorter running times. Why stretch it out just for the sake of it? If you can take someone on a fulfilling and inspired journey in 4 minutes when it takes your contemporaries 10 or more to communicate less, then why not do it?

My favourite tracks on the album are the slinky and sexy "Cup and Saucer":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UaalkOhvGDM
the swinging and stirring "Poughkeepsie":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2oj-75l3DU4
and the seraphic and subdued "Walking Away":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9xMbngPKFk

Ben Swift's music can (and should) be purchased on iTunes and/or CDbaby:
https://store.cdbaby.com/Artist/BenSwiftBand

(Art credits same as above; Label info: Stonebone Records)