Check – Zachary Campos (reviewed by Dave Franklin)

The art of finding your place in the musical landscape is less about following fad or fashion and conforming to a certain generic set of rules and traditions and more about putting your own, unique spin on things. Zachary Campos is doing just that as he transitions from his earlier, more rock-orientated sound to folky, understated music.

“Check” sees him switch from the ukulele, which has been his instrument of choice for the last few songs, to the acoustic guitar. If you are expecting just another folk-focused singer-songwriter, then Zachary is not that. Well, he is, but with his own take on the form.

His short, levelled-out, rhythmic pieces feel as much like tone poems as they do folk songs in the traditional sense, and it is more to artists outside the strict rock and pop world, such as Randy Newman, that become a helpful reference point, rather than the more expected folk troubadours.

“Check” sees Campos talking about his life as a performer gigging in assisted living facilities, wineries, and breweries, that of a jobbing musician playing honest and accessible music in, arguably, more truthful and accessible places.

With his latest collection of songs on the EP, Good Times, out now, Campos could prove to be one of those slow-burning influences that brings something new to the folkscape. After all, it is only when people try out new things that the genres, the scene, and the musical world as a whole move on. Campos might be the sound of a small change in action, but such small shifts in ideas can often usher in creative avalanches.