Arriving in his early-20s amid a flurry of string picking fingers and tangled dreadlocks, Surrey’s Newton Faulkner made an early impression as a charming, engaging live performer with the technical precision to complement his pop accessibility. As far as his studio albums are concerned, however, it’s been an issue of diminishing returns. For whatever reason, this recorded material has become less concerned with Faulkner’s undeniable instrumental proficiency and more with the pop and electronic-inclined elements of his work.
This wouldn’t be a problem if it meant there was more to sink your teeth into. Sure, a cover of Major Lazer’s Get Free is fun enough – he’s done some excellent covers in the past, from Bohemian Rhapsody to Teardrop – but it feels a trifle unnecessary. The Gotye-esque Passing Planes fares better, as does the bright, shimmering Step in the Right Direction.
Even at its best, however, Human Love struggles to match up to anything from Faulkner’s debut, 2007’s Hand Built by Robots. While that record felt like falling in love, this is closer to a 40-something’s third walk down the aisle.
BY DAVID JAMES YOUNG
