Look at our end-of-year ‘Best-of’ album list and you’ll see quite a few singer/songwriters included. But I’ll bet you a pound to a penny you’ll not recognise too many of them as they’re unlikely to be the media’s darlings, and spread like cheapest, thinnest strawberry jam over the airwaves. With so many singer/songwriters now emerging, especially from the UK, the super-hyped tend to submerge the rest, well almost… In this new digital age My Space has provided (combined with some pretty heavy touring) many acts with an alternative and very effective route to market. And it was there I headed to find out more about young singer/songwriter/guitarist Newton Faulkner after listening to this new E.P.. Faulkner, it turns out, is British, 21 years old, and started out as a formally trained guitarist. He subsequently added song writing and singing to his repertoire before grabbing the attention of rock legend Robert Plant. As many My Space visitors testify, Faulkner is an accomplished live performer and it’s evident on one beautiful track from this excellent E.P..

The E.P. opens on a distinctly blues note with the title track, ‘UFO’. Great melody and guitar playing is accompanied by a wonderful vocal that initially had me thinking ‘USA?’. Clever little harmonies complete a really strong song package. The next song, ‘Feels Like Home‘ includes more striking acoustic guitar playing and a voice that wanders the scale with fluid ease. I’m guessing that the sharp and very effective percussive sounds are also from the guy’s guitar body. It’s a wistful and haunting tune that’s immediately followed by another beauty in ‘Alone Again.’ If I was to pick a highlight here, this would be the song with its blues-rock choruses, superb harmonies (that go along way in creating the song’s distinctive sound), and melody that’s catchy enough to secure airplay. Next up is the live track, a cover of Massive Attack’s classic ‘Teardrop.’ Risky? Tell me about it! But Faulkner almost makes the song his own, with the most sensitive interpretation that tells me this guy is just a bit special. A very brief, fragile ‘Lullaby’ concludes a very fine E.P. and leaves me wanting desperately to hear the full album due for release early in 2007. My major new singer/songwriter tip for 2007? Look no further!

4.5/5