Zephyros Gowa – Gypsy Genes (Album Review)

In today’s review, we will be exploring the world of Zephyros Gowa, a singer and songwriter out of Cape Cod in the United States. In this instance, he has released his debut album titled‘Gypsy Genes’, produced by Cape Caudio LLC. The 11 tracks within the album serve as both a homage and a celebration of life on the road, exploring themes of nature, loss and wonder combined with rocking riffs and cleverly laid-out lyrics.

The release has some plus points, especially when it comes to slight chromaticism when it comes to the instrumentation, apparent in the first track ‘Ashes From Reno’. The chord structure is unfortunately quite predictable, but the strong groove of the percussion does save it. I’m aware that the style of the vocalist is relative to the genre and the style, but I find the vocals a bit of a paradox: they’re stylistically unique and fit the spunk of the theme of the genre, but the mastering and the delivery can make it incomprehensible. I don’t mind that, though; vocals can be treated just as a line of melody. My only advice would be to master the vocals so it’s a bit clearer and it can stand out a little bit more within the furor of the instrumentation. Kudos to the person handling the guitar solos, though. I notice yo,u and you certainly have skill.

‘Zephyros Rides Again’ then enters the soundscape with a bit of a shinier, folksier sound. The percussion and the instrumentation is actually interesting, almost reminding me of a neo-Medieval take on vintage songs. ‘Let Your Demons Burn’ then comes through with a bit more of an upbeat feel with a slight soul tone to it, almost reminiscent of Ethiopian soul music. It’s a dynamic track with an interesting choice of chord structure that adds dimension to the emotionality within the song. In this instance, the vocals also truly support the feel of the track. ‘Other Than Here’ follows suit, feeling like a combination of the previous track and the first track.

The titular track, ‘Gypsy Genes’, takes the potential to add dimension with the chords and emotion to another level, with a very dynamic call and response being the main motif of the instrumentation, with a bit of arpeggiation. I find that quite interesting. It’s a heartfelt track that feels oddly innovative as well, which can be appreciated. You can pay homage to traditionalism all while being innovative in your own way.

In the second half of the album, the genre shifts more towards an upbeat, folksy and country fusion, which sounds organic and homegrown- especially within tracks like ‘Where The Sun Don’t Shine’ and ‘Sheila Chandelier’. There’s a little bit of everything under the associated genres with this album. If you’re feeling for some blues in the midst of this, ‘Wagon Boss Blues’ delivers with a subversive yet appealing Blues track that actually uses quite a bit of interesting scales within the melodic guitars.

I’d say this album is not too generic or repetitive, even though it does have a cohesive theme. Within various tracks, there are tracks sandwiched in between that go within the sphere of experimentation, all while carving a sound that is indeed unique to Zephyros Gowa. Not to mention the distinctive voice as well. I think a lot of effort was used to establish a unique artist identity, and I can appreciate this. I really wouldn’t be surprised if this artist garnered a cult following, similar to Siouxsie and the Banshees (but a country, folk rock version!)

SCORE/ Good to Excellent: Zephyros Gowa does an interesting job cultivating a sound that is very uniquely Americana with slivers of mysticism and even the feel of psychedelic rock. It’s familiar, but also quite unique in the variety of genres within this release. Not to mention, the little detail to motivic variation apparent within the instrumentation of these tracks.

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