Newton Faulkner - 'Hand Built by Robots'

Newton Faulkner is a very gifted guitar player, and his songs are built around his dexterity on the instrument. He's managed to master the sweet spot between rhyhtm guitar and soloing, interspersing his fierce, funky, chunky strumming with intricate fingerpicking. If you tune out the lyrics (which are often too many), Hand Built by Robots is an excellent debut.

Newton Faulkner's Lyrics

Lyrically, Hand Built by Robots is a fair introduction to the artist. Faulkner toys a lot with the speed and rhythm of words, not always concerned as much with the words themselves. Where artists like Dave Matthews and Ani DiFranco have capitalized greatly on the speed and rhythm of wordplay, Faulkner could still use a little practice. Lines like "I feel like a muppet with a drunken puppetteer / but I'll survive / I will survive" (from "To the Light" purchase/download) just get lost in the frey of...well, speed and rhythm.

Considering the earnestness of other lyrical moments ("I need something to believe in because I don't believe in myself"), there's an impression that the lyrics matter a lot to this artist. It'll be interesting to see where he's able to take the speed-and-rhythm-of-words factor once he manages to master it. He's just not there yet.

The Music and Melody

"Dream Catch Me" (purchase/download) is probably the fiercest moment on the disc, calling to mind a range of artists from Death Cab for Cutie to David Grey and any number of indie rock bands. The melody sweeps across the entire spectrum of Faulkner's impressive vocal range, while his rhythm guitar sticks to the bare basics in the background.

"Feels Like Home" (purchase/download) is another impressively arranged song with a melody that feels so familiar (like home?) that it's easy to get it stuck in your head. "People Should Smile More" (purchase/download) is more simple, in the Jack Johnson vein of folk-pop, and stands up as somewhat of a theme song of the disc. Granted the refrain, "I can't change the world / because trying to make a difference makes it worse," seems an unfortunate statement in a time when the world could use a little changing, but the sentiment is understandable.

The Bottom Line

Newton Faulkner is a gifted songwriter, whose work will be appreciated by fans of artists ranging from David Grey to Jack Johnson, Ani DiFranco, Keller Williams. If anything, Hand Built by Robots is a nice introduction to this up-and-coming artist. He could certainly still benefit from growing a bit as a lyricist, but so could most artists.