What does it sound like?:
Coles Corner is where Richard Hawley found his place in the musical firmament: shoulders square, reverb guitar, and mournful baritone, crossing Roy Orbison’s romance with Johnny Cash’s grit. The songs are beautiful constructs, with their feet firmly in the fifties, soul in the city of Sheffield and heart hopelessly dreaming of Hollywood. Hawley totally inhabits every moment of them. As with all the very best albums, Coles Corner is a world entirely of its own but, in 2005, the music scene in the UK was fragmented and there was enough room for its faded glamour and yearning nostalgia to be noticed. It was nominated for the Mercury Prize, won by The Artic Monkeys, also from Sheffield. As soon as Alex Turner accepted the award, he declared, “Call 999. Richard Hawley’s been robbed!” It’s his third LP and he has released six since, not to mention five film soundtracks and three live albums, but it’s the one with which he is most closely associated and many believe is his best.
The album was immaculately recorded in 2005 and requires no further embellishment or polish. Twenty years have enhanced its stature. It is the kind of LP that sounds better with the passage of time, with a depth and richness that has ripened elegantly. As our ears age they appreciate the stately pace of the songs more, let alone the grace of the arrangements, the artistry of the musicianship, and the precision of the lyrics. From the opening strings of the title track, flush with the promise of a liaison at the well-known meeting point depicted on the cover, through to the finale, Last Orders, a piano instrumental of lost opportunities, melancholy enough to bring a tear to the eye, every single note is perfectly placed.
This twentieth anniversary edition adds an eighteen track companion disc. It starts with the four singles’ radio edits. The Ocean plunges straight in just as the waves of guitars and luscious strings reach their peak, removing a full minute of gentle undulation. The B sides often reveal the true character of an artist. There are three instrumentals; one, a faithful tribute to his guitar hero Hank Marvin, and another, a Hawaiian pedal steel weepy, illustrate where the parent album’s key guitar sounds originate. Some Candy Talking shares the blue collar stifled ambition and desire for escape with those of a north of England Hotel Room. The Country covers are the starkest kind, full of grief and hardship. Hawley never shirked from revealing his influences; the sombre mood of Long Black Veil reflected in its A side Just Like Rain and I’m Here To Get My Baby Out Of Jail is a chapter following on from Born Under A Bad Sign. It is a relief to get back to Hawley’s own songs, presented in simple, early acoustic arrangements, a couple of them live. The third instrumental, A Bird Never Flew On One Wing, closes the collection, aching and longing for another time and place.
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What does it all *mean*?
Coles Corner is a highlight of 21st Century popular music. This anniversary edition’s additional material enhances the original album rather than detracts from it. The package, as a whole, tells the album’s story comprehensively, its influences, themes, and the detailed thought that went into it. If you don’t already ‘own’ the album, now’s your chance. It is modestly affordable, a refreshing change for special editions.
Goes well with…
Big hearts.
Release Date:
1st August 2025
Might suit people who like…
Quality
Agree with every word. As a Rotherham lad I’m of course loathe to give credit to owt that come from Sheffield but make an exception for this lad
Awaiting the thud on the doormat with bated breath. It is his best album and the bonus cd is intriguing.
The “faithful tribute to his guitar hero Hank Marvin” is played by none other than, er, Hank Marvin.
Faithful is spot on, then!
😀
“It is a relief to get back to Hawley’s own songs”
Not a fan of country covers, then, Tigger? Might be just enough for me to buy the album again, my existent copy being a borrowed rip, I think.
It’s an emotional relief. His covers are excellent, just that his choices err on the bleak side.
https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2025/jul/14/i-broke-down-in-the-studio-from-all-the-raw-emotion-richard-hawley-on-making-the-ocean
Coles Corner (Acoustic)
I really, really, like his version of JAMC’s Some Candy Talking, which he tossed off in about 5 minutes for a Q cover-mount CD. Which is now on CD2.
Downloaded and listened to today. Fabulous album and my introduction to Richard Hawley – I remember that I bought the album originally on the strength of hearing the track “Cole’s Corner” but was trying to remember today where I first heard that (a Word mag CD perchance?).
I still think Trueloves Gutter is his masterpiece though.
Full disclosure – being born and brought up in Sheffield, I may be a little biased.
Trueloves Gutter is a masterpiece!
Another vote for Truelove’s Gutter
and another. I think TG maybe just shades CC as his best overall album
Mmm I always felt it was a set of tribute pieces, not saying pastiches, but somehow not convincing. Lovely, but didn’t hook me. I saw him live too at a little festival in the Midlands and he was much better.
Still one of my favourites – it’s THE great late-night album. It feels like a record for adults, with enough faded romance to really resonate with the emotionally bruised.