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Review: 'HAWKEY, ANDREW'
'Long Story Short'   

-  Label: 'Mole Lodge Records'
-  Genre: 'Folk' -  Release Date: '3rd April 2020'-  Catalogue No: 'MLCD002'

Our Rating:
More by accident than design (for who could have predicted the dire effects of the Coronavirus) this is a perfect record to help get us through the rigors of social distancing and self isolation.

The ten songs on this fine album are calm meditations on the way we live that promote the benefits of a de-globalization and living simply.

The Cornish-born mid-Wales-based singer-songwriter has a no frills style that favours simplicity and directness. Only on Jones On Me, which he describes as "a nod toward classic Memphis/Muscle Shoals country-meets-soul", does he depart from an uncomplicated folk-blues delivery.

In Painter, the singer admits to being content to quite literally watch paint dry. He is a man who knows that having time for reflection (enforced or otherwise) is precious. "A poor life it is if, full of care, we have no time to stand and stare" wrote W.H. Davies in his poem 'Leisure' and what was true in 1911 is still valid today. Perhaps even more so.

As you might expect from an artist in his late 70s, there are a lot of lyrics about the significance of memories. Hawkey says that "age brings with it the urgent imperative to create something lasting and meaningful while there’s still time".

He sings of friendship, former loves and, in Spirit, fondly remembers sparkling skies of the past.

More on point when it comes to the current state of the planet, A Little More deals with issues relating to global warming and stresses the need to value love and kindness. The chilling dystopian ballad Stony Land warns what will happen if we fail to ignore the signs of imminent disaster.

Alongside eight original tunes there are a couple of covers: Bob Carpenter's maudlin The Believer and Zoe 'Llani' Spencer's delicate You Knew.

The CD’s cover portrait, artwork and layout is by Hawkey's good friend, the excellent musician/writer/artist Jeb Loy Nichols.

Any friend of Nichols is a friend of mind and I'd heartily recommend this album even though it documents the signs of the times a little too accurately for comfort.

Andrew Hawkey's website
  author: Martin Raybould

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HAWKEY, ANDREW - Long Story Short