Richard Hawley
Album: Standing At The Sky's Edge
Label: Parlophone
Tracks: 9
Website: http://www.richardhawley.co.uk

Unusually for me, I first heard "Standing At The Sky's Edge" whilst driving in the car. It was one of those journeys where eating up the miles and getting to the final destination was more important than the journey it's self. Richard Hawley's new album had literally just arrived as I was about to set off.

It's a great album to drive to, not just on the motorways, but also for those passing through town stretches. It's got a pace that gives you that sense of moving forward and balances that with a sound that doesn't feel like it relentlessly getting you agitated when the inevitable jam comes.

Under most circumstances a good driving album would be sufficient enough excuse to get an album, but this is Richard Hawley we're talking about and one reason is never going to be enough of a reason and he probably didn't have the car in mind when he put this together.

What I do think he had in mind was delivering the concert experience into your house and whilst, according to the pics on the inner sleeve, his guitars only go up to ten, there is definitely an eleven fighting to get out, this is an incredible album to be on the receiving edge of.

The album moves through rock, rockabilly and country rock as effortlessly as Joey Barton moves onto his next series of match bans. Hawley is blessed with a voice that sits somewhere between Roy Orbison and Johnny Cash and a brooding guitar style that checks out Eddie Cochran and Joe Strummer. Part of you thinks it's so unfair that so much talent gets rolled into a single package, whilst the other part is simply glad it did.

"Standing At The Sky's Edge" does have a darkness to it. There is a simmering fire that sits beneath its chords ready to burst into flame at a seconds notice. The key word in the title is edge, this is an album that's got plenty of edge and Hawley is a master of holding you on the precipice. An album worthy of anyone's shekels.

Neil King