Traveling – Zachary Campos (reviewed by Dave Franklin)

As Zachary Campos settles into his new sonic groove, I suspect we will have to find a new term for the type of music he makes—not in terms of genre—it’s pretty clear that he falls into a troubadouric, traditional folk style—but in terms of the form and format that he employs.

With songs typically weighing in at around a minute or less and taking the route of a straight verse-only salvo, no chorus, no middle eights, no solos, no frippery or excessive finery and no deviation, these short, sharp and shockingly effective pieces are perhaps not even songs. Not in the traditional sense. Just one man, one voice, one guitar, rhythmic chords and gently lilting, understated dynamics, short and sweet and no longer than they need to be.

Just as the sonnet is the shortened form of the longer poem, and the paragraph is just a constituent part of more prosaic pieces, these are songlets, for want of a better word, collections of rhyming cuplets compared to more expansive forms. But if that is all you need to say what you want to say, then why labour the point?

If you want to know more, it is worth noting that this is the opening track of his album, The Champion, one of two lyrical pieces from an album of mainly instrumental, acoustic guitar tracks. So whether you are looking for unadorned acoustic or short, smart insights into the life of the jobbing musician, this will make for the perfect next step.