Richard Hawley

Prior to the release of this, his debut album, Richard Hawley's greatest claim to fame was playing guitar on All Saints' version of the Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Under the Bridge". This shouldn't be held against him too hard--and nor, while we're taking other offences into consideration, should his session work for Robbie Williams and Finley Quaye. A chap has to make a living and, much more importantly, Richard Hawley is a modestly lovely record--if this is what he's spent his savings on, it's been well worth it. It does seem extraordinary, however, that Hawley has been content to keep his mouth shut when playing behind such patently inferior singers--no disrespect intended to his previous employers, as most people would sound a patently inferior singer in his company. His voice has both the hoarse whisper of Elliott Smith and the tremulous falsetto reminiscent of Chris Isaak, and his songs--humble epics in the Lambchop mode--are mostly worthy of it. This is a commendable start. --Andrew Mueller