Despite the unashamedly retro sound, Richard Hawley seemed like a breath of fresh air when he started releasing albums under his own name. His beautifully arranged songs recalled the big showstopping singles of the 1960s. After five albums though, there’s a fair chance the formula will eventually run dry. This first became apparent on 2005’s ‘Coles Corner’ and ‘Lady’s Bridge’ signals a further downward trend; it is the third album in succession named after a Sheffield landmark. Tellingly, he looks jaded on the album cover shot too.
The songs are still lush and abundant with strings but there’s a sense of water being trodden several times over. The opening ‘Valentine’ is a case in point; another lovelorn epic number but its melody is light and insubstantial. ‘Roll River Roll’ is better, its jazz piano and guitar undertow is understated and well held together by Hawley’s tremulous vocals. In the past I’ve compared Hawley to the magnificence of Scott Walker but only occasionally here - on the rich, glorious single ‘Tonight The Streets Are Ours’ for instance - does he come close. Elsewhere ‘Lady Solitude’ is bathed in a pleasant shimmer and the closing duet with Sally Doherty is subtly beautiful. On the flipside, however, ’Dark Road’ and the rockabilly numbers are lazy and uninspired. Hawley’s voice and guitar playing are always worth listening to but overall ’Lady’s Bridge’ is like a homogenised Radio 2 product, pleasant enough but definitely lacking a spark.
Web Sites:
Richard Hawley’s Official Site
Richard Hawley MySpace
Further Listening:
Scott Walker, Roy Orbison
0 Responses to “Review: Richard Hawley - Lady’s Bridge”