I find Dustin O'Halloran compelling not because of his choice of instrumentation or performance style, but because of the unique emotional response that comes from his compositional tendencies to create works that are calming to listen to, but still in a minor key. When most music is in a minor key and is relatively classical in nature, the audience typically interprets the message or emotion portrayed by a piece as a dark, gloomy, or otherwise negatively oriented one. However, the majority of Dustin O'Halloran's compositions that are in a minor key are rather calming and relaxing to listen to. This usually solo piano repertoire, is unusually pleasing for someone such as myself, who grew up in the pacific northwest where cloudy and foggy weather are the normal conditions for the majority of the year. Why Dustin O'Halloran's music resonates so strongly with me, is simply because of it's ability to accompany or mimic the type of weather that I grew accustomed to while being raised in the pacific northwest; while cloudy/foggy and rainy throughout most the year, still mild and calming.
Relevant Websites for Dustin O'Halloran:
His professional website that contains information about himself, tour dates, discography, and related multimedia.
His SoundCloud page where partial and full-length samples of his music can be listened to or purchased. This is a great resource to not only discover his compositions, but to also view feedback on them from other listeners.
A more professional review of Dustin O'Halloran's work (his album Lumiere more specifically), done by the BBC. This is a prime example of a more formal evaluation of his work.