It’s good to hear songs like this again. I hope they find commercial acceptance. New Jersey musician, singer, and songwriter Doug Kistner’s love for the smooth musical strands of units such as Steely Dan and Chicago must be real, this is a style with few remaining practitioners, rendered quaint by the bling and electronic-driven attitude of hip-hop and EDM. Kistner, however, emphatically demonstrates with his new single “Don’t Look Down” that the style is far from an artistic dead-end. Put in the right hands, such as his own, Kistner shows that adult oriented rock music doesn’t need to be consigned to disposability.
It isn’t an earth-shattering message he delivers with the song. It’s a relatively familiar subject with universality resonance. He puts it, however, in its own distinctive language and it never smacks of imitation. Each of the lines are chiseled, lacking any fat, and share the same punchy qualities we hear in the musical arrangement. It’s a tune that figuratively grabs listeners by the throat without ever threatening to maul them. You can’t pull away.
The horns are a customary touch but provide a blast of energy at key points. Kistner, however, builds the track around the trio of drums, guitar, and keyboards. The latter isn’t featured as prominently in the mix as the song’s guitar and drums. It has a live feel rather than pre-programmed and, if that is the case, the musicians deserve considerable credit for balancing impressive precision with real feeling.
There are few vocalists as talented as Kistner working in this style. He moves from strength to strength during the transition between verses and chorus and dials up the vocal intensity without ever plunging overboard. The backing vocals underline all the right moments and never feel misplaced. His singing achieves a light exhortative quality – it’s hard to enjoy this track and not feel a little roused by its uplift. He brings you into the song’s world. Great music, like any great movie or book, asks us to suspend disbelief for a few minutes, stops time, and thrills us with its peaks and valleys. The songwriting and vocals alike illustrate his keen understanding of dynamics.
“Don’t Look Down” has ample stylishness but never sounds hollow. The stylishness is another likely result of Kistner’s considerable experience; this is a performer who knows what sort of musical face he wants to show the world and how to do it. He never bites off more than he can chew either, in terms of length, and each individual section has the appropriate duration. Nothing overstays its welcome.
There’s likely a small universe of supporting singers and musicians capable of making the step that Doug Kistner has. Too few possess the confidence. Kistner has put the lessons of his musical journey to excellent use with this single and steps into the spotlight with the self-assurance of someone convinced they belong there. “Don’t Look Down” generates a surprising amount of energy and has every positive hallmark of a modern gem. It’s well worth seeking out.
Jodi Marxbury