Hand Built By Robots

See Larger Image	List Price: £8.99 Our Price: £4.98 Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours Manufacturer: RCA Average Customer Rating:


Binding: Audio CD EAN: 0886971130621 Label: RCA Manufacturer: RCA Number Of Discs: 1 Publisher: RCA Release Date: 2007-07-30 Studio: RCA
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Editorial Reviews: Newton Faulkner has toured with Paulo Nutini and James Morrison. You hear this fact far more often than you have to–-it might have made sense to expose his palatable acoustic tinkerings to those massive audiences, but that association leaves too simplistic an impression. He specialises in partially progressive, free-willed folk-pop that is on one hand too cosy and warm for mass consumption–-there’s only so much space around the beach campfire–-but on the other it’s so accessible, so infectious, so feel-good that how could it not be headed for every other car stereo in the country, windows rolled down (weather permitting). It’s not cutting edge by any stretch of the imagination; he constantly reminds of the acoustic balladry of 90s soft-metal bands Extreme and Mr Big (or at least the songs "More than Words" and "To Be with You") via modern day peers like Ben Harper, but Newton Faulkner comes with a fertile imagination and an enjoyably flexible range to dress that foundation up. His gravelly cover of Massive Attack’s "Teardrop" is notable and Jack Johnson’s a good reference for the percussive plucking of tunes like "Gone in the Morning", "To the Light" and "Feels Like Home". There are very few 17-track albums that couldn’t be improved by losing six tracks, but the consistency on Hand Built by Robots is admirable and hints at a long term talent. --James Berry
Spotlight customer reviews: Customer Rating: Summary: Hand Built By Robots Comment: 'Hand Built By Robots' is the excellent debut from Newton Faulkner. He plays percussive guitar, but like others of this style who keep instrumental, he manages to put lyrics to his songs and appeals to a wider audience. The whole album is pretty good, but for me a stand out track is 'I Need Something' which always gets me belting out as I sing along. His style is easy to get into and this is great to have on in the background as you're cooking in the kitchen or when you have friends round, it is easy going and inoffensive. If you like this check out Erik Mongrain who plays in a similar style but is instrumental. This album has been marketed to death now and many songs have had extensive radio play, but they are still as good as the day you first hear them which goes some way to show just how good they actually are. I'm looking forward to his next album, but until then I don't think this one will be very far from my stereo. You can usually get this for a good price on Amazon (4.98 at time of writing) and is well worth a try if you're looking out for something new and uplifting. Customer Rating: Summary: To the light... Comment: A few months ago one of my friends mentioned a bloke (new on the music scene) called Newton Faulkner... Naturally,(being a music fanatic of all kinds) I listened to a couple of his songs before buying the album. I was amazed by the talent of one man on an acoustic guitar, singing, playing percussive guitar (of basic kinds but in the middle of playing a complex tapping riff and singing at the same time is very challenging). When I finally decided to buy the album it opened me up to a massive world of acoustic music. (cliché as it may sound it is true!) Still to this day I have never found the songs on the album boring or have never got 'fed up' of them (even after the sheer amount I have listened to the album) and I find it perfect for relaxation music whenever. All in all this is one of the best albums I have ever listened to and even though I mostly enjoy heavy metal it is a brilliant album for anyone to listen to from any musical background. Absolutely brilliant, can't wait for the next album! Customer Rating: Summary: UFO....Hello Comment: I first caught a clip of Newton on YouTube playing the now overplayed (commercially) Teardrop cover on his axe over a year ago and immediately it blew me away - I bought the album on the back of that alone the day it came out and wow what a breath of fresh air. Firstly, this guy can play. I mean seriously, the sounds he gets out of the guitar is quite frankly ridiculous. You'd think he had a separate drum kit and a set of sticks in-between each of his toes. Not so...really if you haven't already seen him search for a video. I've seen him live a couple of times live and it's a joy to watch. Well and obviously, listen. For a debut album it is an amazing mix of acoustic and catchy tunes full of meaningful lyrics that usually come from experienced songwriters, I can only assume he's been doing this a long time before launch. Tracks like the obvious `Dream Catch Me' and Teardrop are instantly playable, but try not to skip to these and let the album play out as its supposed to and given a long enough car ride with your CD player, or a long enough jog with you iPod and the whole album will evaporate away before you and you will realise its some of the easiest listening you've got on your playlist. It's brilliant and essential if you're buying this album. Typically today's `stars' get away with a measly 10, maybe a dozen tracks on an album and they're done, where as Newt has gone for 17 odd tracks on here. Now a few of them you can call fillers, and there's an intro instrumental and one called `Sitar-y Thing' which aren't much on their own but like I say, together in the scheme of things, do justice to the record nicely. The highlights for me are `I Need Something' and obviously `Dream Catch Me' but there are some funky-fun ones like `UFO' and `People Should Smile More' that if you haven't learnt the words yet, will have you whistling on the way to work...and if you know the words, singing along whilst trying to tap your steering wheel but realising you cant even get the rhythm right on that alone! - all the while Newt is tapping on his guitar...in-between strumming complicated riffs...finger picking others...and as well as singing varied interesting rhymes...and no doubt farting the bass line!...and they say men cant multitask! Like I said earlier, for a young `un he has got some merit in the bank (The guy is only about 23 years old) so who knows what he'll be churning out in years to come. Can only wait and look forward to it. Buy, buy bye... Customer Rating: Summary: Feels Like Home Comment: I bought this album on the strength of Dream Catch Me, something I don't usually do without hearing more, but a decision I certainly don't regret in this case. Vocally, he has hints of Jack Johnson and Adam Levine, and delivers each song with soul, energy and enthusiasm. There are no bad, weak or filler tracks on this album, which sounds polished but still raw. Despite the similarities I mentioned earlier, Faulkner still sounds totally unique and has a lot of talent. I enjoy this album, which manages to relax me when I need relaxation, as well as stimulate me when I need an energy boost. One of the best debut albums in recent years. Customer Rating: Summary: Overhyped Comment: I bought this CD expecting great things but I have to say having given it several listens now, I cannot see what the hype was about. Its pleasant enough, and there is some nice acoustic playing, but its just not special in any way. There are considerably better albums out there that deserve the publicity that this one has had. More Reviews