Coles Corner - Richard Hawley Album Review

Photo:Gareth James @ 7th Heaven

Album Review

From the moment the sweeping orchestration kicks-in I was absolutely hooked. What, a young man prepared to croon in early 60's style?

Well almost, but Coles Corner is more than just about crooning.

This album is absolutely STUNNING. Its nearest rival would be American Rufus Wainwright's Want Two. Hawley though, is British through and through, from the steely city of Sheffield, but there's nothing steely about this masterpiece. Melody driven from the start, it drips with swooning vocals, torch songs, observational and personal experiences (Tonight is typical). Now, Sheffield is the most unlikely inspiration for this type of crushing work, and that's the catch, it ventures out in the most universal manner possible. Inspired by an old meeting place in the city, Coles Corner (now a John Lewis store) has provided Hawley with plenty of material. It's also recorded at Yellowmarch Studios in the city. Vocally, he's rich and tender at every point of reference, even giving master singer Roy Orbison a run for his money (Darlin' Wait For Me a prime example)

This 'swooner-crooner' sounds like some kind of musical misfit from a bygone generation before angst-ridden rock prevailed. In reality he's a maverick, as romance, soul and nostalgia are the key threads (even the CD artwork shows Hawley gently clutching a bouquet), whether it's personal or imagined, but imagination is not too evident here. Just Like The Rain is the kind of Americana that Johnny Cash would have loved to cover, as would Wading Through The Water. Hotel Room with its Hawaiian sways, and Darlin' Wait For Me are genteel ballads right out of the early 60s. Closing, the dreamy reverbed-piano tinkling of Last Orders is a fitting conclusion to a brilliant collection. Just about every generation would appreciate this, as it's very cool.

If this doesn't chart, we're witnessing the first heinous crime of the 21 Century.

The best of British - outstanding in every department.

Elly Roberts