Acoustic maestro Newton Faulkner is releasing a cover of Massive Attack’s classic single Teardrop.

First reaction: how is a dreadlocked singer/songwriter type going to pull off this song without becoming a public enemy?

Answer: Faulkner does an awesome job.

Back when I reviewed Dream Catch Me, I remember being underwhelmed by the song and all the hype surrounding Newton Faulkner. However, with Teardrop, I can see what all the buzz is about.

He handles the singing with a throaty, almost grungey vocal that satisfies, and manages to replicate the beat from the original simply by using his guitar for percussion. Yet, it climbs to a totally different level when the drums come crashing in and Faulkner lets out an amazing wail…

The video is psychedelic to say the least, shifting angles so many times, it’d make MC Escher dizzy. Check it out…

Discovered via Jenny May’s excellent Band Weblogs. Teardrop can be found on Faulkner’s new album Hand Built By Robots.