Zachary Campos – “Trial”
Zachary Campos – “Trial” – Single Review
As we arrive here at the final part of this latest chapter from Zachary Campos before he takes a hiatus to get back in the lab and really work on his craft, I think it’s important to remind the guy that for as many critical things as I’ve had to say about his tunes along the way, he’s also shown us many positives as well. Personality on the mic for instance – don’t let his monotone delivery fool ya, he’s got plenty of it. Behind the scenes, he’s also one of the nicest dudes you’ll probably cross paths with, and that counts for a lot in an industry that essentially goes on to become a network of connections established throughout the years. Material-wise, sure there have been ups and downs along the way, but you’ll likely notice that his most notable breakthroughs occurred when he chose to do things a little differently than he’d done them before, or tried to add something new into what he creates. Like a great many of you, pass or fail, it’s in realizing that it’s fun and exciting to challenge yourself to do more that brings out our best. All any of us can ever do is try…but ultimately that’s so much better than merely resting on anyone’s own natural talent; this whole thing is about investing in yourself & finding out what you’re capable of.
So heck yeah – I still believe in Campos, and I know he’ll get to where he wants to go. It’s just a matter of focusing up and laying it down, you feel me? I’ve met guys like Zachary a few times along the way, and the vast majority of them go on to carve out a solid career for themselves. Sure he’s got talent, I don’t think there’s any doubt about that – but more than anything else, he’s got a sincere desire to do what he does, and believe me when I say that if there’s one quality I’d take over talent every single time when it comes to predicting who’s actually going to go the distance, I can assure you that one, 100%. He’s the kind of guy that’s always going to outwork the rest, study the game, and come back stronger. While I tend to preach a lot about the benefits of time and perspective when it comes to creating art, I’m also stoked to hear what he’ll come up with next…because that next phase of his evolution as an artist won’t be measured in the tiniest of steps like it has been lately…it’ll be a massive leap forward.
As for the here & now of it all…like I said, we’ve got some small steps to reflect on that indicate he’s got a good head start on changing things up so that his music has the opportunity to reach the audience he’d like it to. I pointed things out about in the past like on songs like “Calm” from his Profound Knowledge EP that show a bit of a different side of him, and the potential that exists for Zachary to go on and do other things, which might even be outside of rappin’ one day, you never know. I feel a bit the same towards his new single called “Trial” – not quite as strongly about the results, but in the potential it highlights. I like that he’s basically using full instrumentation, supplied by Tim J Abbott who produced the song…it’s a bit on the standard side of sound, but it’s still a bit of a newer avenue for Campos to be found in, so that’s cool. I like that he’s double-tracked his vocals…I don’t know that it’s my favorite sound from Zachary in that regard, but I love the fact that he’s trying new things. You see what I mean? Pass or fail doesn’t matter…and any opinions on art and music are completely subjective anyhow – we’re all gonna respond differently to different things, that’s the nature of the game – BUT…as an artist, you’re gonna have a hell of a lot more fun challenging yourself rather than resting on your laurels.
Lyrically, I also dig the fact that he’s writing about something other than himself for once! Don’t get me wrong, I grew up in the heyday of Hip-Hop and I’m all about tracks that brag about being the best and all – but Campos was missing an important piece that would make those cuts as interesting as they should be. A lot of that comes down to description, using more than one syllable words, and digging deeper in a way that would make the connection to what he was saying to how he was saying it, you feel me? In the case of “Trial,” he’s actually gone in a substantially different direction and based his lyrics around a story by Franz Kafka of all things…which is…an impressive switch to say the least! But you’ll notice that it WORKED…by moving away from what he typically chose to write about, he’s generated a renewed interest in what he’s rapping about on “Trial,” because it ain’t just the same thing under a different title. It’s a unique entry into his catalog, and that ultimately counts for a lot in terms of the diversity you need as an artist to keep people interested, but also in terms of opening the doors of opportunity so that he can write about anything he wants to later on without hesitation, knowing that he can go that route too. Is there still work to be done? Hell yes! Of course! And you should always WANT that as an artist, or it may as well be game over. But yeah man, I looked at the first two lines on paper and as much as I appreciated the fact the lyricism was more diverse this time around, I knew right away based on the metering that it was gonna come out sounding like an awkward fit, which it does. These spots are opportunities that exist where Campos can easily both tighten things up AND make life a whole lot easier on himself, because with more fluidity, you get more TIME as an singer or rapper…and when you’ve got that, you can actually breathe more…and when you can breathe more, you can actually DO more with your inflections, tones, personality, stuff in the background…the list goes on and on and on.
Other than those first two lines though, I’m just about as happy as I feel like I could be with the lyrics & the difference it makes in how we become curious about the story he’s telling in this song – he’s generating interest on “Trial,” and that’s a great step in the right direction. As to how it’s a song that was partly inspired by DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince’s He’s The DJ I’m The Rapper, a record I know forwards and backwards…I’m gonna have to leave that up to him to explain to ya cause that don’t make a lick of sense to me…but whatever, that shit don’t matter. The bottom line is that you can hear he’s making changes, he’s fueled by a genuine desire to make music his life, and the more he harnesses the power of both those things combined, the quicker he’ll tap into his full potential & surge into his prime.
Find Zachary Campos‘ new single “Trial” at this multi-link here: https://songwhip.com/zacharycampos/trial
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