Finn Bonel - Love's The Only Thing (Single Review)
Monday, 20 February 2012
Written by Steven James
'Love's the Only Thing' is the debut single from Finn Bonel, a singer-songwriter from South London. Although this isn't your typical hipster from Camden with a guitar, the sound Finn Bonel is going for is much more mature. Or as he puts it on his website, he wants to block out the dazzle and focus on getting his raw emotions across through heartfelt lyrics.
You may think that sounds a little cheesy, and admittedly it kind of is. It certainly isn't helping by Bonel's Americana style of songwriting and his vocals that make him sound like a bit of a heartland rocker from across the pond. Although this guy has pretty far to go before he's our very own Springsteen and that's not to say he couldn't be.
Finn's has a good voice, it's just the right of gravely and makes him sound like much more of a veteran songwriter. He's also pretty handy with a guitar, although you wouldn't have guessed so from this track alone. Finn's other songs are darker and moodier, with the emphasis on his voice and his guitar. All that's really showcased here is his voice as most of what you get from this song comes from the drums and from the strings, and I don't think that's Finn Bonel.
You don't need a synthesised strings sections to sound emotional and uplifting and if anything I think they really take away from the other elements of the song. This is a shame as the vocals and the guitar work on their own could make Finn Bonel great. Someone like Finn doesn't need a big sound to make a great song. Bob Dylan didn't need a big sound to make a great song. Arguably it was the whole big sound thing that ruined Dylan. So Finn should stick with his idols and just stick with his guitar.
Sure, the track is a little uplifting and the vocals sound good, but I think it's pretty cheesy and a bit lacklustre. From what else I've heard of Finn it sounds like he's at his best with just an acoustic guitar and a bit of accompaniment. For someone who's obviously trying to take after Bob Dylan or Bruce Springsteen this probably wasn't the best choice of debut single.
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You may think that sounds a little cheesy, and admittedly it kind of is. It certainly isn't helping by Bonel's Americana style of songwriting and his vocals that make him sound like a bit of a heartland rocker from across the pond. Although this guy has pretty far to go before he's our very own Springsteen and that's not to say he couldn't be.
