New Rival – My Urban Condition

New Rival – My Urban Condition – Album Review

How dudes like Kenneth Cookson find their way here, I’ll never know, but I appreciate it all the same.  Guy’s got like, all kinds of education and experience in orchestras and all that, and his “music of course could and should be interpreted by professionals who study and curate music.”  I feel like I should truly apologize to him upfront for having to put up with my unprofessional ass…I am just an opinion, that’s all.  No credentials here, just a lifelong journey spent immersed in listening to music & they don’t even hand out a generic certificate for that – trust me, my dad, the professional musician, reminds me about that all the time.  On the bright side, at least I can lay claim to sharing space with Kenneth of New Rival – he apparently lives in our backyard somewhere in the Vancouver area of BC where we’re currently located.

Sounds like he’s got an Electro-based Progressive Jazz-fusion thing goin’ on from where My Urban Condition starts up with “A Stroke Of Luck.”  There’s a lot happening here in this opening tune, and likely a bit more than the average everyday listener is used to…it’s really up to Kenneth on what he wants to do with that information.  He can certainly assemble a tune and he knows how to get a whole lot into one experience, which does offer a little something for everyone in some way, but you can hear the way that a track like “A Stroke Of Luck” would be more challenging to listeners than the majority of what would probably be on their playlists.  Like, he’s working with about five song’s worth of ideas in this one tune.  Does that mean that New Rival should dumb things down and cater to the masses?  Of course not.  People out there should always be looking for opportunities to expand their musical palette, even if reality suggests they won’t in most cases.  Personally, I find tracks like “A Stroke Of Luck” to be interesting and engaging, but yep, also challenging, even to me.  What I enjoy about that challenge is that I could listen to a track like “A Stroke Of Luck” hundreds of times and still get something new out of it that I hadn’t heard or noticed before.  It’ll stay fresh for years and years after its creation.  This goes on to be true about much of this album.

What I would look at is the risk involved in putting a track like “A Stroke Of Luck” upfront as track one, whereas having something with a more gradual build like “My Urban Condition” could potentially be an easier way not to scare the average everyday listener with the level of creativity and art goin’ on here.  Those are the folks I’m typically representing here – and in that regard, I’d say Kenneth is right about how his music “could and should be interpreted by professionals who study and curate music” – because it’s gonna get a bit lost on the listeners in between.  Those out there with plenty of technical proficiency and a deeper understanding of what makes this chord work with that one etc. will find lots of interesting things in what New Rival does, and those same awesome details will likely fly right over the heads of the rest of us mere mortals.  “My Urban Condition” for example…I’d tell ya that the delicate chords he’s using at the start seem like a more awkward fit than he’d probably want to intend, which is somewhat proven by the way things immediately begin to smooth out after you tick past that first minute…but for a tenured Jazz listener, or someone that digs composition, they’d likely be stoked about finding such an unexpected pairing.  Accessibility isn’t nearly the main priority of Jazz or Progressive artists so much as the art and craft are – and while I definitely appreciate that, I also recognize the barriers it creates in how music is received by the masses.  “My Urban Condition” is as unique as the album itself is, and I do believe that the more people spin it, the more that they’ll eventually get their heads around the sound.

It’s always an artist’s job to push the boundaries, and in my opinion, that’s how we evolve.  We need people like Kenneth to come along and challenge what we think we know about music, so that we can recognize how much more there always is to learn.  There’s no doubt that it can be humbling to a degree, but it should also be awe-inspiring too.  For real – how amazing is it that we’re all still dealing with the same notes and tones, yet just arranged and assembled differently, time after time?  As an eternal student of sound, that’ll always blow my mind.  I listen to “So You Think So” by New Rival, and it’s more than clear that Kenneth knows where the line between what’s accessible and what isn’t exists.  In this particular instance, he’s chosen to bring things to a level that most listeners would be able to hang with, and ultimately, I feel like that pays off for him.  While many of us would debate what does or doesn’t appeal to us in the opening two tracks, this third cut feels highly universal.  I don’t think anyone will object to what they hear on “So You Think So” – this is definitely one of New Rival’s most enticing.

By the time you reach “You Get Me I Get You,” I think we all have to appreciate how the passion of Kenneth’s creativity really speaks on its own behalf.  His material is alive and thriving, and that’s a quality we can hear in each of his songs, regardless of our own individual reactions to them.  Whether we like something or not is essentially beside the point I’m making – Kenneth’s love for the craft of making music is what we all hear the most, and I fully respect that.  Personally, I really enjoy “You Get Me I Get You” and feel like the way he’s able to shift the focus of what we hear on the surface through his production and performance deserves real credit for his creativity.  The more you dig into the DNA of a song like “You Get Me I Get You,” the more you realize how much work and effort is truly being put into this material.  Does that equate to accessibility?  Not necessarily, but again, that’s not the priority.  What it equates to is music that allows listeners the opportunity to dig in as much as they want to.  If you wanna spin it several times to appreciate the work being put into the craft, of course you have the option…if you wanna just experience Jazz-fusion on a more surface level, you can obviously do that too.

If you read through Kenneth’s story and journey into making music, you’ll learn about how a lot of what he did first began with percussion, and expanded from there into a whole world of sound.  Sometimes our roots expose our strengths in the greatest of ways, and I’d charge that on a song like “Left To My Devices,” you’ll be able to appreciate what I mean by that.  Sure, there’s a whole lot of beautiful sound to be found throughout this song – and overall, I’d tell ya that “Left To My Devices” is one of the better cuts on the record because of that – but when I was first listening to this tune, I could barely take my ears off of the percussion and the fascinating way it works to serve the melody and movement of this track.  The guitar parts also make a highly favorable impression on this song too…which is extra-neat in the sense that they sound analog to me, but also end up trading off seamlessly with the keyboards when they make an appearance, which makes you wonder whether or not they were real, or in fact synthesized.  In the case of New Rival, it could genuinely be either scenario – Kenneth originally started out on the drums & such, but he’s developed himself into a multi-instrumentalist that has experience playing just about everything.  Alright, not ‘everything’ in the literal sense, which I’d assume he take that way based on the world of music he’s living in and wanting people to get their credit for playing this or that at an expert level, but you know what I mean – he’s learned to play a wide range of instruments.  When you combine that with his knowledge and experience on both sides of the studio boards, you can begin to comprehend how extensive his abilities truly are…or you could just listen to the sonic details in a song like “Left To My Devices” and your ears will tell you how much Kenneth truly knows about music.

I do have a few moments here and there, like on a track like “Now I See,” where I’m a bit more perplexed by his choices…at least mix-wise.  Don’t get me wrong, it’s Jazz baby…we’re not always going to understand what the heck a Jazz musician is gonna want to do with how they play whatever they’re playing, and I get that – but mix-wise, I think the story can often become clearer in many cases, or in instances like “Now I See,” make us even more curious.  If I was to listen to “Now I See” as an average everyday listener with no prior context, I’d readily tell you that based on the mix, New Rival wants you to hear the beats the most.  Give Kenneth a moment here…he’s absorbing that comment, because it’s not what he’s intended, but it is indeed the reality of how people would likely hear this particular song.  So in my opinion, given that the beats aren’t likely the number one thing he’d want people to hear, there’s still work to be done so that the rest of what he’s put into a song like “Now I See” doesn’t get overlooked.  Because he wouldn’t want that, considering how many great things are happening in the music surrounding those beats, you feel me?  Of course, if I’m wrong, and he wants those details to be passed over, and the drums to be the main takeaway on this tune, then he’s got everything right where it should be.  From what I can tell though, he’s got a lot other incredible stuff in the mix here that I wouldn’t want to be overshadowed…like the keys just past the first minute for example…great stuff happening there without question, but it’s work for listeners to get to them underneath the drums on top.  I ain’t saying it isn’t worth the effort to take a closer listen so much as most people don’t tend to apply themselves that way…so it’s really about what Kenneth wants to make sure you hear in New Rival.

“Suddenly” would be a stellar example of how accessibility doesn’t necessarily equate to something being memorable.  Songs that are more confusing or creative can often lodge themselves in our brain for a lot longer as a result of us trying to figure out what we’re experiencing & piece the puzzle together – whereas a tune like “Suddenly” makes a lot more sense to our ears in quicker time, so we don’t really end up spending the same amount of thought on it.  Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of different reasons that people listen to music, and not everyone’s up for the mystery involved with piecing things together from point-A to point-B…some folks just want something easier to digest, and in comparison to the vast majority of what he creates, “Suddenly” serves that function in a more concise way.  Like, it’s a song that I can’t really imagine anyone turning off, but it’s equally tough to imagine anyone getting too excited about it either – you following me?  I’d have no problem listening to “Suddenly” any day of the week…but I can also recognize that this is one of the tracks that probably challenged Kenneth the least in creating the lineup of songs you find on My Urban Condition.  Truthfully, I think we’ve already heard such extraordinary skills from Kenneth prior to this tune that we know he could likely fall out of bed onto a song like “Suddenly” any time he chooses to write one.  Nothing wrong with that of course, like I said, there is music out there for all kinds of different functions & he still brings the passion you wanna find in every note he plays.  “Suddenly” is quite beautiful if you ask me, and very pleasant to listen to.

I think “Just Kidding” was the first track I didn’t really feel furthered the story of My Urban Condition or really brought anything new to it that felt like it needed to be there.  That happens, even to the best of us…sometimes that’s the ebb and flow of an album, and sometimes that’s a creator having a harder time being objective with the material or possessing an attachment to a song that we wouldn’t have as listeners on the other side of the speakers.  I’m not saying that “Just Kidding” would be something you’d wanna turn off, but it does seem like Kenneth is a little less invested in this particular tune on a creative level.  Like I said, that’s gonna happen in most cases with any artist or band we listen to – but where you get a bit more risk is when you’re finding a track like “Just Kidding” coming after “Suddenly” in a lineup.  Now we’re in a situation where the truly memorable nature of how New Rival started this album up is starting to go by the wayside a little bit, which is where I come in to remind Kenneth to keep focused & continue to challenge himself as an artist…even the title suggests that he ain’t too serious about this cut.

“Chica” has some great qualities to it, particular at the lower-end of its tones as Kenneth is scaling down on the guitar.  He’s got a real thing with the adding of vocal-elements to his tunes…and to a degree, I get it – it can be an alluring sound.  I don’t know that he hasn’t overused that card in his deck here a little bit in the context of how much that idea appears in this set-list of songs, but it’s not an unwelcome sound.  To me, “Chica” still suffers a bit from the parity of the mix…and I’m looking for a bit more of the dynamic way that a song like “You Get Me I Get You” was able to shift things in a more fluid design.  Like, I enjoy the beats that New Rival adds to the music…but I’d be hard pressed to say that I think they should be the main focus when the majority of Kenneth’s creativity is expressed in every other element of the music surrounding them…so to hear things come out on an equal level in the mix seems like a weird choice to make.  The best advice I can give him in that regard is to direct our ears to the feature element – and again, if he considers that to be the beats, then mission accomplished – maybe we just hear things differently in regards to what the priority should be, that’s totally possible.  When you consider his history and roots in percussion, I think it’s natural that element of his music gets turned up a bit louder in the mix than perhaps it should.  It’s the same for everyone – if you’re a singer, it’s the vocals that end up being the loudest…a guitar player wants those solos searing above the rest…etc. etc. – and we have to somewhat rebel against our natural biases in these instances, so that the rest gets its opportunity to shine.  There are so many remarkable things happening in the melody of “Chica” that I wouldn’t want to be lost on the listeners out there and I feel like New Rival still has room to accentuate what we focus on.

The hats in “Mechanical Me” would definitely be best served in following similar advice so that they’re not taking away from the rest of what we hear.  I’m not as bent outta shape when it comes to this track because I feel more strongly about this cut finding its way outta this lineup than I did with “Just Kidding” earlier on.  New Rival’s gotta be at least a little conscious of what the experience is like on the listening end…”Mechanical Me” sounds like the outline of an idea or a jam in comparison to the focus that has been on display throughout the majority of this record.  I don’t mind the energy, and I can hear that there is potential here, even if the guitar hook sounds like the vocal melody of “Dancing In The Dark” at times – but…yeah…I mean…I guess I’m just less convinced that a track like “Mechanical Me” is going to be THE song that gets people excited to continue listening to the end.  Twelve tracks in this world is a LARGE commitment from the average set of ears out there, and it’s tough to find a set that’ll keep’em engaged in the best of circumstances.  When you’re making a record for the modern-era, you practically have to talk yourself out of including some tunes for that very reason, lest you take a professional that has the chops at the caliber of someone like Kenneth and start to lump them in with the ordinary folks that make music as a hobby on the side, you feel me?  “Mechanical Me” is alright…and it’s really up to Kenneth to determine whether that’s how he’d want his music to be assessed, you know what I mean?

So…look…I’m gonna feel how I feel about the whole mix-thing and where the drums/percussion should sit, and that’s gonna carry on into “Summer Fell.”  I’m not gonna dwell on it – I think Kenneth gets my point by now, but I will definitely say that a song like this with a more gentle and melodic disposition would likely benefit the most by having those aspects be the dominant traits of what we hear on the surface.  In my opinion, “Summer Fell” has the potential to be one of the best songs in New Rival’s catalog with a little tinkering under the hood.  Right now, it’s a good tune on its way to becoming a great one.  I think he’s gotta be a bit mindful of spots like around the two-minute mark in terms of how people will perceive the sound he’s rockin’ with – again, Kenneth knows full well what an easier pairing would be, and he’s making a conscious choice to make a hard right instead of an easy left.  Live by the sword and die by the sword, as they say…but it’s equally true that without risk, there is no reward.  Some of the things we do creatively pay off…and sometimes our creativity can hinder our opportunities to be heard.  I think when you dig deep and hear things like the string sounds at the bottom of the mix that could totally be on the surface to enhance the atmosphere of a song like “Summer Fell,” you start to tap into how much of a gold mine of potential he really has in a song like this.  Bass-lines…meh…what are we doin’ around this two-minute mark again my friend?  The best advice I’ve got for ya Kenneth, is that if a part of a song isn’t adding something to the experience then it’s probably taking something away…and I’m not hearing anything there that couldn’t be subtracted until around the 2:40 mark when my faith is restored.  If it’s merely contrast you’re looking to create, then mission accomplished…but I feel like there’s a drifting focus that needs to snap back to attention to take “Summer Fell” from good to great.

I think we all naturally want to support the hometown crowd when we can…so don’t get it twisted, I’m rooting for New Rival at the end of the day, and I can hear the potential for this Progressive Jazz-fusion to work out.  Right now, I think it’s got the start of an idea and the talent to go a lot further with it – but Kenneth still sounds like he’s trying to discern which path is the right one for him to take in this lineup.  “Possessed” has the extra punch in it to let our ears know we’ve shifted into the finale, but it’s a bit of a thinner theme and concept driving the writing here too…so we’re kind of trading one value for another.  It has long been said that most people ‘can’t hear Jazz’ in the way that the creators of it can – and like I was saying from the very start, I’m far from professional…I’m just a human being, that’s it, that’s all.  I don’t have a special set of ears that function any differently than yours do, and I simply call things like I hear’em.  I’m willing to be a lot more honest about the details of what I hear than most critics tend to be, but I’ve always considered that to be to an artist or band’s benefit.  Someone sought out an opinion, and I supply it…it has never occurred the other way around, I assure you.  So while I think there’s a lot of great stuff to be found on My Urban Condition, I also feel like there’s still a long way for New Rival to go in terms of what’ll make it reach the heights of Kenneth’s ambition and talent combined.  We’re in the early stages of what it can become, and there ain’t no shame in that game.  Dude’s clearly got loads of skill & a strong desire to make music…and when you’ve got those attributes workin’ in your favor they can take you a long, long way in this business, or with your art, whichever way you’d prefer to look at it.  So yes – I believe in the potential that I’m hearing in New Rival…now it’s just a matter of bringing it to that level…and with all the talent, experience, and education that Kenneth has in music, he’ll get there.

Find out more about New Rival from the official website at:  https://newrival.live

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