Some regulars of the Bristol Richer Sounds may remember back in 2012 when Newton Faulkner performed an intimate gig right on the very shop floor in support of his third album Write It on Your Skin. It was a very special event and speaks volumes about the character of the Surrey-born artist. Known for his percussive yet melodic playing style, singer-guitarist Newton Faulkner shot to fame in 2007 with his debut album Handbuilt by Robots. It featured many a hit single, has been certified double Platinum in the UK and catapulted him to stardom. 8 years on from his explosion onto the music scene and Faulkner is now on his fifth studio album Human Love.
Newton Faulkner -Human Love
Unlike his earlier albums, it seems like more focus has been placed on feel and arrangement instead of his colourful guitar playing. Kicking things off is a cover of “Get Free” by Major Lazer which is also the lead single from the album. It’s a pleasant mix of production loops and acoustic guitar but seems a little at odds with what you might expect from Faulkner. As such it might’ve been better placed elsewhere on the album rather than as the opening gambit. “Up Up and Away” brings things back to what we know and love about Faulkner and we’re treated to an upbeat, foot tapping sing along with lots of percussion and layers thrown in. “Step in the Right Direction” follows and is a more measured, smooth, mid-tempo track that as the title suggests speaks of new beginnings and optimism. “Passing Planes” reaches for a more atmospheric feel with big reverb on the keys and vocals. It’s ripe for some radio play but slightly lacks the charisma and character of his classic songs. Featuring some guest vocals from Tessa Rose Jackson, “Stay and Take” is an admirable try at mixing things up with a stomping, looping rhythm but again fails to catch the ear with its melody. Things are brought down very low with “Break”, a lament that features just guitar and tender vocals which pull at the heart-strings. Not to worry though as “Far to Fall” immediately ramps things up again with an African inspired, up-tempo return back to positivity. “Can I Be Enough” invokes a very Beck-esque feel with a slow groove mixed with percussion and quirky guitar and is the kind of variety that hits the mark quite well. “Gone” continues the feel of positivity and message that there are better things to come but penultimate track “Shadow Boxing”, with its looping beats and samples, just simply feels like it was written for another artist. It’s a nice tune on its own but taken in the context of the album it feels over-produced and more suitable for a band like One Republic. Album closer “Human Love” finishes things with a nice looped beat layered over with vocals and guitar and is much more of the quirkiness we’d expect from Faulkner’s previous releases.
Human Love is 11 songs long and as such is a short, simple album. It suffers somewhat from being a little confused in what it wants to be though and this means some of the tracks, whilst being good efforts, don’t catch your ear like previous albums. Whereas his debut album was the accessible type of record that you might happily be able to give to most of your friends and family, Human Love and its new direction is probably not going to gain him too many new fans. Getting past all of that, there are some good tunes on here that will definitely find their way onto my iPod.
Author: Steve, Bristol store
