Richard Hawley – Hollow Meadows (2015)

Someone in Market Harborough seems to be going off Richard Hawley, one album at a time, and I'm the beneficiary of their gradual donation of the CDs to Oxfam.

This 2015, his 8th solo album, is a much lower key production than previous albums, particularly compared to the previous album Standing At The Sky's Edge.

It's an album which displays the slower, gentler side of Hawley, mostly written while recovering from a broken leg and slipped disc, and a lot of the songs do sound like a man feeling very sorry for himself. This isn't to say it's a bad album - quite the opposite. His slower, quieter work, while not always to my taste, certainly benefits from minimal production, and the (mostly) absence of big string arrangements, which I always feel distract rather than add grandeur. Most of the songs are lovely in the moment, without really sticking, and for me, Hawley is more satisfying the louder and faster he gets.

But there's still lots to enjoy - early on The World Looks Down is a fine song, while Which Way has the bigger sound evident on his previous album. The bright Long Time Down is uplifting, but for me, it's the single Heart Of Oak which stands out as a real belter, where he allows the band to turn up the volume a bit and let rip. True to form, there's a minimal, beautiful song, What Love Means, to finish, which even this decibel preferring reviewer is moved by.

Personally, this isn't his finest hour, but those preferring Hawley's quieter side will disagree. And in the end, it's only my uninformed opinion. Either way, it's still a very enjoyable listen.

Link to album tracks

3* - a worthwhile listen, even if it's not my favourite of Hawley's albums.