It's clear to see that Richard Hawley is a man fiercely proud of his roots. And not just his geographical roots, either; although the former Longpigs and Pulp member has named each of his five solo albums with a reference to his home city of Sheffield, Hawley's music acknowledges a bygone era, when pop music was heavy with sumptuous, spacious melodies, torch songs about lost loves, and impressive quiffs. On that count, then, Lady's Bridge, and Hawley himself, ticks every box; the follow-up to 2005's Mercury-nominated Cole's Corner is as lavish and awe-inspiring as its breakthrough-effecting predecessor. Richard Hawley is a master at creating timeless-sounding soundtracks, and the majority of his fifth studio album pays testament to his talent as a songwriter - not to mention singer. Opener Valentine is a striking, swarthy ballad that starts with a '50s-style jangle and builds into a gorgeous orchestral opus that Roy Orbison would be privileged to sing on; Serious sees him adjust his smouldering croon to a toe-tapping rockabilly track that recalls Morrissey's early solo material; Lady Solitude is a subtly gospel-flavoured number that recalls Elvis Presley or The Righteous Brothers, and there's another sidestep taken on the country-hued, Johnny Cash-like Dark Road. And that's not all; The Sea Calls is an austere-yet-warm folky ballad that utilises instruments like the lyre and theremin, while I'm Looking For Someone To Find Me could easily be a recent Divine Comedy triumph. It's the straight-out-of-a-fifties-jukebox number Tonight the Streets Are Ours, however, that not only confirms Hawley's exceptional capability, but epitomises the enduring, classic nature of Lady's Bridge as a whole. A truly brilliant album from one of Britain's finest songwriters.
