Hawley names most of his albums for local Sheffield, England landmarks, but he doesn’t keep provincial musical borders. The fifth solo album by this in-demand session man, who includes Jarvis Cocker and Scott Walker among his employers, sports graceful, cosmopolitan piano and strings, while Hawley croons like a debonair chansonnier who’s overdosed on Jim Reeves and Serge Gainsbourg. He occasionally ups the pulse for jovial kicks, but the record maintains its hypnotic spell with slow-as-IV-drip rhythms that set the scene for Hawley’s moonlit walks down lonely streets.
Now Hear This: Richard Hawley – “Serious” WINDOWS MEDIA HIGH | LOW
