Music Existence Because of Music, We Exist
While it’s made to compete with one of the more sterling vocal elements Chris Waters has recorded to date, the percussive element in the new single “Road To Damascus” is probably as important to this piece as any other component of the master mix is. Although driven primarily by the relationship this rapper has with the rhythm of the melodic instrumentation, the beat behind the verses in “Road To Damascus” has a lot to contribute to the moodiness of the melodies and how we interpret the message here. There’s no room for filler in a Waters recording, and we learn that in this release.
The lead vocal is pretty aggressive in spots, but I think it matches up with the tempo of the music rather elegantly. At no point does Chris Waters sound like anything else but a true professional more than capable of owning the spotlight with little more than his natural charisma, and I like that “Road To Damascus” wasn’t produced to eliminate any of the natural grit in his rapping. This is an organic piece of material, and it’s offered to us with such simplistic framing that we get a fair idea of what its performer would sound like live.
This single benefits tremendously from the fluidity of the music, and I don’t know that anything is getting around the high standard production quality Waters went with here. There’s a meticulousness to the arrangement that makes it more than obvious how invested in the little details this player is, but above this, there’s a soulfulness to the execution both behind the mic and in front of the main beat here that we wouldn’t get from something purely robotic or synthetically generated. Quality matters to this player, and no one can debate as much after listening to “Road To Damascus.”
You don’t have to be that familiar with the works of Chris Waters to appreciate the wealth of experience he brings to the table in a single like this one, and if you listen to “Road To Damascus” this month, you’re going to understand why he’s been attracting the kind of hype he has been in recent times. He’s got an ease with his verses that leaves his presence in the mix undisturbed by any of the other elements bombarding us with tonal magic, which isn’t the simplest feat to accomplish by any means. This is a top-shelf recording, and it’s coming from a proven source this spring.
For crossover rap with a boldly emotional twist, Chris Waters’ amazing “Road To Damascus” should be considered required listening. Waters has a voice that doesn’t need to be propped up with a lot of frills, but when it’s accompanied by the right kind of instrumental pressure we find in this release, we get even more color out of its contribution to the music than we would have otherwise. This is hip-hop just about anyone with an ear for melodicism and smart lyrics should have no trouble getting into, and I think other critics across the underground are going to agree with me.
Ave Archuleta
