Hyped but talented.
To be billed as having the sound of "an acoustic guitar like we've never heard before" is just the sort of hype and remark that can strangle a new talent at its earliest point and its certainly raised the bar of expectation for Newton Faulkner. With a video that's been popping up frequently on the assorted video channels on satellite television and a name that's been getting dropped frequently on the internet, 'Dream Catch Me' is a major calling card for the new artists potential.
After the initial jangly intro, the first thought running through anyone's head is that it's a new Snow Patrol record, the second thought would then usually be its time for a sleep but this feeling soon passes and by the time the chorus hits, there's a brisk upping of the tempo and tension, culminating in a nice pay-off line with the singer intoning that "he wont come back at all."
Beyond the chorus the vocals go up a notch further, the throaty growl indicating a depth of soul and quality in the singer that, if is carried through on his debut album, should give Newton Faulkner every opportunity to build on the early promise and become a big name.
Does the song live up to the talk of acoustic guitar like we've never heard before? No, of course it doesn't but it was never likely to. When it comes to the act of singer-song writing there is a lot of competition around at the moment and although this opinion is based on a song that meanders a bit at the start before finding its feet, Newton Faulkner is likely to have a bit more in his locker to stand him apart from most of his peers. Whether this means he'll sell more or less records is impossible to say at the moment but this might be one artist where its best to read nothing about him and just listen.