Newton Faulkner, or “That ginger guy with the dreads?” as he is most commonly known, has been releasing solo albums since way back in 2007. His most recent release, ‘Hit the Ground Running”, was released in September 2017, a decade after his first record. Having had two of his first three records reach No.1 in the UK Album charts, Faulkner somewhat changed his style when recording 2013’s ‘Studio Zoo’ and indeed this continued into ‘Human Love’, which was released in 2015. To the surprise of many, Faulkner’s fourth and fifth studio albums did not match the high standard of song writing or popularity that the previous three did, be it through a change of sound or lack of production, Faulkner somewhat disappeared from the Music industry’s public eye. Faulkner’s latest release could well be the record to buck that declining trend.
Whilst ‘Hit the Ground Running’ is a concerted effort to produce a transformed sound, it certainly has clear reminders of his first three records, in not only the music but the track listing too; ‘Guitar-y Thing’ is evidently a reference to ‘Sitar-y Thing’ from his first record, and whether conscious or not, this record is a return to his song-writing roots. Songs such as the title track ‘Hit The Ground Running’, ‘Smoked Ice Cream’ and ‘Alright’ evoke similar feelings to the Newton Faulkner that rose to relative stardom back in 2007, and certainly remind you of the great singer-song writers such as Jack Johnson and David Gray who Faulkner was compared to at the start of his career. In songs such as ‘There is Still Time’ there are even sounds that can be compared to those of Bon Iver and Fleet Foxes. Whilst Faulkner has certainly created an album that is a solid piece of work, and certainly a return to the Newton Faulkner that many people fell in love with, it does feel like it is missing something. The record has a lovely flow, in accordance with every one of his six studio albums, yet considering it is a 14 track record, it feels ever so slightly undercooked. It lacks the one or two anthem-like folk rock tracks that made albums such as ‘Rebuilt By Humans’ and ‘Write It On Your Skin’ incredibly well rounded and sing-a-long records.
Overall, Newton Faulkner’s newest album ‘Hit the Ground Running’ is a success. It has furthermore reassured me that the 15 year old version of myself that connected with Newton Faulkner’s music had as good taste in music as the 22 year old version does.
Jake Harvey
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