k-hutchins - Young Star

Hear The Track Here

Must be my month for acoustic folk because in the review list I had Ryan McAlpin and this new Soundclick artist back to back over the past few days so if I seem a bit laid back (maaaannn) blame them. k-hutchins (Kevin Hutchins is obviously another master of the Lower Case) is a guitarist songwriter from Kent in the UK and judging by the one track on his page is either very new at this or incredibly slow getting the material online. There again, maybe he's just putting a toe in the water so that when we bite it off (inevitable really) he can console himself by saying he knew all along what a right load of b******s we can be. And he would be right.

I joke of course; everybody knows I'm a softy...

This tunes a bit of a softy too, being merely guitar and vocal, although the lyrics are a bit sharp so watch yerselves there. I am not really a fan of the whole folky finger-picking style favoured by a lot of guitarists, but I can't help but admire someone who can pull it off. Okay, it isn't masterclass material but it isn't supposed to be, it's just there to support the vocal and it does that well although I felt the overall sound was a little boomy in places; but that's alwaysa problem trying to record acoustic guitars. Especially when you bring vocals into the picture as well. As it is, Kevin has made a very clean job it, the slight boominess is par for the course really and no-one else will notice it anyway.

What they will notice is a very smart little song, delivered with reasonable confidence which does suggest a certain newness to the subject but the song itself will win you over. Sung in that navel-gazing English way that is so beloved of UK singers right now, Young Star is a bittersweet ballad encased in a very folky arrangement that seems - at first - to not work. However the more you hear it, the more right it becomes, especially when it does start to mesh with the vocal. At heart though, this is a song demo and on that basis I'd have to say this is a pretty good song, and bodes well for further releases. It isn't really my thing so I'll be passing on this but you might not. Whichever way, give it a shot.

Gentle folky rock with a very modern vocal sound.