Richard Hawley’s “Lady’s Bridge”
There have been plenty of reviews and critiques, some I agree with and others I don’t about Richard Hawley’s new release, Lady’s Bridge. It is my first Hawley experience but it was with Cole’s Corner that brought Richard Hawley back out on to the scene after being M.I.A for most of the mid to late 90’s. So perhaps it’s for this reason that I find this to be a success rather than a retreat.
The first single off the album is “Tonight the Streets Are Ours”. An up-tempo soulful song with strings and bells that will strike a chord with any romantic. But it’s the title song, “Lady’s Bridge”, which strikes a chord with me.
Also a romantic song, well, lets face it, this album and artist are stooped in romanticism, but here I feel there is more sincerity behind the music and lyrics.
With the opening piano line I get little chills. And the same with the opening lyrics, “take me with you when you go, down to the river” and then the guitar with the Hawaiian style slide eases us in to the chorus where Richard delivers the short but sweet repetitive line, “down to the river…down to the river…down to the river”.
Like Richard’s last album, Cole’s Corner, which, according to the actual winners (The Arctic Monkey’s) should have won the Mercury Prize in 2006, we are treated to stories about Hawley’s home countryside of Sheffield. But probably more defining is the fact that his father, David Hawley, died of cancer while he was recording the album. David was a big influence on his son as he himself was a romantic and local singer / song writer that played with the likes of Muddy Waters and other local Sheffield favorites.
In “Lady’s Bridge”, it’s not clear who he is singing too; a lover, his father, his town. The bridge he speaks of is an actual bridge in Sheffield that separates the poor neighborhoods (Richards hood) from rich neighborhoods. It has a feeling of nostalgia and in my opinion, makes for a great segue way in the winter season.
Richard Hawley - “Lady’s Bridge”
Purchase Lady’s Bridge (Amazon) (Mute)
Visit Richard Hawley on Myspace
Visit the Ricard Hawley page at Mute Records
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