Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on October 2009
BMG
On the back of a sweet voice, virtuoso acoustic guitar chops—and a nice reworking of Massive Attack’s “Teardrop”—young UK singer-songwriter Newton Faulkner topped the charts with his 2007 debut, Hand Built By Robots. For his follow-up (the title refers to Faulkner slipping on ice and having a metal plate put into his wrist), he’s fortified his folkie sound with more conventional arrangements. This often detracts from the intimate atmosphere that characterized his debut, and leads to some pretty bland outings, like the first single “If This Is It” with its clichéd message, “If I had one chance to freeze time, I’d choose right now.” Of more interest are the driving strings and off-kilter backbeat of “Won’t Let Go,” a song that was co-written with friend, Japanese alt-pop star Cornelius, in a hotel room in Tokyo—which means Japan probably hasn’t seen the last of Mr. Faulkner.
