Album Review: Richard Hawley, In This City They Call You Love

Richard Hawley is a real songwriter’s songwriter; I’ve yet to meet a musician who doesn’t love his ability to pay homage to the past, often via 1960s rockabilly, with the kind of timeless melodies and toe-tapping choruses many rivals would trade a toe for.

Album opener and lead single ‘Two For His Heels’ comes complete with a tremolo guitar motif that his hero, the late Duane Eddy, would have been proud of; the uber-catchy ‘Have Love’ has a chug-a-lug rhythm and laidback charm that builds to quite the rumble; while ‘People’, which gives the album its title, is a love letter to Hawley’s hometown of Sheffield.

The brilliant ‘Deep Space’ begins with Buddy Holly-esque rumble ‘n’ roll, before the electric guitar enters with all the subtlety of gatecrashers at a wedding, Hawley even delivering a searing guitar solo.

Elsewhere, the gorgeous ‘When The Lights Go Out’ and ‘I’ll Never Get Over You’ reaffirm his ability to crank out beautiful love songs, the first mid-paced and lovely, the latter delivering exactly what you’d expect from a Hawley ballad.

The closing ‘’Tis Night’ is an homage to the kind of romantic songs they don’t really make anymore, with a touch of ‘Blue Moon’ into the bargain. Only ‘Hear That Lonesome Whistle Blow’ is a little too derivative. But as a follow-up to last year’s Very Best Of this is a bit special.

8/10