Richard Hawley's latest album Standing At The Sky's Edge has just been nominated for the Mercury Prize and as a little celebration I thought I'd go back and re-listen to COLES CORNER his second album, also nominated for the Mercury back in 2005. Back then he lost out to his fellow Sheffield rascals Arctic Monkeys. Though the hot tip this time around is Alt-J it would be great to see Mr Hawley pick up the award.
COLES CORNER takes it's names from a street corner in Hawley's hometown of Sheffield. It was the junction of two roads, Fargate and Church Street, outside the old Coles Brothers department store where courting couples would meet each other back in more proper times. The album artwork features Hawley stood there, flowers in hand, expectant and hopeful like so many others before him.
Musically rooted in the 1950s and 1960s. Hawley's silky smooth crooned vocals capture a similar tenderness to the master heartbreak, Roy Orbison. His lyrics and voice manages to simultaneous convey the joy of love, and also the heartbreak. Incrediblly the album can sound both optistic and terribly sad deepening upon your emotion. today I'm going on holiday so I thankfully feel the former.
It is unashamedly romantic and full of aching hearts, lost loves and lonely souls. For me it's the first half that has all the real standouts: the song 'Coles Corner', 'Just Like the Rain', 'Hotel Room' (which always reminds me of Johnny Nash's 'Tears On My Pillow' and the achingly lovely Darlin' Wait For Me' which can bring you to tears. It's so perfect. The guitar notes barely touched, the drums just lightly brushed and Hawley's vocals are delicate and tender. He wears his heart openly on his sleeve.
Musically the first half of the album tips it's hat to a pre-Beatles British musical heritage. The reverberating guitars sound like British pre-Beatles guitar music, the notes played perfectly with absolute clarity. For the second half though there is a noticeable jump across the Atlantic for inspiration. Again it's the 50s (and earlier) that inspire Hawley, in particular the early sad ballads of Cash, Hank Williams and Ricky Nelson, in particular 'Lonesome Town'.
COLE'S CORNER
DARLIN' WAIT FOR ME
HOTEL ROOM
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