New Artist Alert: Oliver Daldry

It's really refreshing when an artist comes along with a real passion for not just music, but songwriting; not making music for music's sake, but as an outlet for themselves and to inspire others. When Oliver Daldry's email landed in my inbox, he painted the picture of a very humble indie artist, yet a few clicks later his personal website paints a very different picture of professionalism and somebody geared up for the long haul in this industry.

Daldry is a 19 year old singer/songwriter from East Anglia, UK and his debut album, The Boy Who Fell, has just been released on iTunes. Already picking up connotations of 'the new Paul Simon' and with references to Ed Sheeran, Daldry is a skilled classical guitar player who has honed his craft in his tender years and plays wherever and whenever he can. The package is almost complete, save for the music itself...

The Boy Who Fell, the title track from the album is, according to Daldry, about a close friend who saw life deal them an unfortunate set of circumstances as it often does and tells the tale of somebody unfortunately in this instance not able to face their demons. The upbeat, picky folk-style guitar intro leads us quickly to a fantastic lead vocal; immediately it's current yet similarly could have been plucked from a familiar television advert. Daldry's gentle, breathy tones, with a hint of reverb to add a little more colour, compliment the underlying arpeggio before opening up as the track builds, revealing a great vocal range that glides effortlessly into its falsetto. Production-wise it's spot-on, as it takes a left turn both feel and tempo-wise, pulsating with a little more passion atop choral backing vocals; it sounds like two separate songs but they fit perfectly together as we return at the end to the feel and fragility of the opening section. This is a really strong folk-pop song that is sure to fill back-rooms in pubs as easily as it could arenas.

Faded tells a sad tale of dementia as strings pick out the mood of the piece, sliding through the chord progression as the classic-Daldry sound of picky acoustic guitar and minimalistic rhythms compliment the simple yet effective vocal melody. Concrete throws the spotlight on Daldry's talent for guitar playing which amalgamates a Newton Faulkner style with a Paulo Nutini-sounding feel to the vocals as distant hints of slide guitar support this upbeat-feeling track, of which the arrangement is excellent.

I get the feeling that Daldry is on the cusp of something quite exciting and, if he plays his cards right, could see himself in a very different place in a very short time. A real talent combined with passion and humble roots will go a long way and I hope to be able to say I heard him when...

'The Boy Who Fell' is available for download from iTunes now for a mere £3.99 whilst you can keep up to date with Oliver Daldry on his website. Check out the album-taster video below, and be sure to grab yourself a copy. Enjoy :)