Crooning - it’s a funny thing. A singer can have a fine voice and a sympathetic arranger but if that certain something isn’t there then your Frank Sinatra can quickly descend into Johnny Mathis. The golden age of crooning is long gone however, swept away by The Beatles and Dylan amongst others. But crooning and the art-song tradition has never quite gone away and its transmogrified presence has been felt in rock music time and time again in noteworthy artists such as Scott Walker, Bowie, Elvis Costello, Cathal Coughlan, Billy Mackenzie, Tom Waits, Bjork and the subject of this review, Richard Hawley.
The last time this writer encountered Hawley was on the rather good Relaxed Muscle record of two years ago – himself and Jarvis Cocker’s foray into Cramps-like hammer horror garage rock. And now for something completely different - his excellent new long-player ‘COLES CORNER’ sounds almost as if the previous 30 years musically never happened. Hugely nostalgic in tone the album continually looks to the past both melodically and lyrically and reminds one strongly of Frank Sinatra’s and Gordon Jenkins’ autumnal ‘September of my Years’. But this is no kitschy walk down memory lane a-la Robbie Williams – the material here, almost all originals written by Hawley is exceptional indeed and the album as a whole is very intimately moving.
The album itself indeed sounds a bit like something Marcel Proust would have produced if he drank fine Kentucky bourbon rather than ate madeleines. It’s brilliantly produced by Hawley and Colin Elliott who get the late night atmospherics just right – it never sounds contrived or heavy handed like Richard Lanois can do sometimes. Also, his voice is a wonder to behold – amazingly rich and lived-in for a man of a mere 35 years. It’s like a cross between the recent Nick Lowe, Lee Hazlewood and Scott Walker. And just when the sepia tinged melancholy begins to overwhelm at some points Hawley introduces his Shadows-y guitar figures and subtle rockabilly rhythms to great effect bringing a David Lynch feel to the whole affair.
The title track refers to an area of Sheffield that is now a department store but used to be a congregating point for the youths of Sheffield and the spot where young lovers would go a-courting. ‘Hello young lovers, wherever you are…’ indeed. A gorgeous lush orchestral number, COLES CORNER opens the album perfectly and establishes the late night elegiac tone. The lyrics which could quickly become clichés in the hands of another performer sound absolutely convincing in Hawley’s aching voice. The sound of Roy Orbison’s 60’s Frank Foster productions drifts in the background like second-hand smoke in many tracks, such as in the gentle country shuffle of JUST LIKE THE RAIN and its hard not to see Quentin Tarantino using HOTEL ROOM at some point in the future in one of his movies. The supreme DARLIN’ WAIT FOR ME sounds like it was tailor-made for Johnny Cash to sing and if there was any justice in the world the single THE OCEAN, would be a hit.
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The album changes direction slightly in the second half where the influence of the Americana of Sam Philips and Sun Records becomes stronger. Among the highlights - BORN UNDER A BAD SIGN, which has a lovely arrangement - a distant chorus of mandolins(?) works wonders on the bridge and Hawley’s Hank Marvin/Link Wray guitar goes down like a 50 year old single malt scotch whiskey. WADING THROUGH THE WATERS OF MY TIME, perhaps the most countrified tune on the album, has his haunting voice sounding a lot like Charlie Rich and also features a perfectly placed pedal steel-ish slide guitar. And lastly, the most pared back tune on the album - WHO’S GOING TO SHOE YOUR PRETTY LITTLE FEET, proves that all Hawley needs to blow you away is a simply strummed acoustic guitar and his wonderful voice. The final track, LAST ORDERS is an atmospheric piano instro that brings the album to a fitting close.
So all-in-all a huge success. My only tiny criticism would be the similarities to Nick Lowe, who has been ploughing a similar furrow for quite a while now (and brilliantly I might add, check out his THE CONVINCER if you like this). But this record has drifted, like tumbleweed, into my top 5 albums of the year – the more I listen to it the better it gets and I expect I will be returning to it again and again as the winter months draw in.
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