After regressing into an explosive rock style on previous record Standing at the Sky’s Edge, a shift back into the crooner phase and an attempt to marry it to these slick guitar numbers was on the cards. Richard Hawley is wise in his decision to pair the two genres, the styles do not clash as first thought and it is to the benefit of Hollow Meadows and its listeners that the Mercury Awards buzz from the previous release stunned Hawley back into what he does best. Some of his all-time greats can be found on this 2015 release, pieces which, without them in his live sets, would feel peculiar. Why hide away the finest moments? Hawley observes plenty of those on this Hollow Meadows, which are quite the opposite of the shallow intentions. These are the tender strings of a man back in touch with a place which shaped him.
Opener I Still Want You could not be clearer. He needed some time away and in those moments of quieter reflection, the three-year gap between Hollow Meadows and its predecessor sees an in-tune collection of realisations. They bubble to the surface with all the grandeur and hope held by the earliest of Hawley recordings. Echoes and reverb from Standing at the Sky’s Edge last on but with less of a heavy-hitting necessity. Instead, they take their place amid strings and whistling on The World Looks Down. Sprinklings of regal halls hit Which Way, though are soon replaced with an explosive electric guitar and a fear of directionless at its core. These are the subdued details of a man toying with new genres – a peculiar melancholy mixed in with some old-school gothic elements, heard on this third track, are a neat experience.
Still, there is a focus on Shez Sheridan and Hawley enjoying themselves with electric solos, and they settle in nicely. Lush number Long Time Down has a sway like Coles Corner though even Hawley notes it is time to move on – his romanticisms are still fresh and burning with passion. Country twangs here make all the difference. Tearjerker Nothing Like a Friend ties the love and loss together with a raw beauty Hawley is accustomed to. He still shocks when he provides this openness, the likes of Heart of Oak confirm this desire to be in touch and tune with the feelings of a growing audience. Tonally strong in all the right places, there are a few moments toward the end where Hawley sounds as though he is running out of lyrical steam.
The ever-complacent but very listenable Tuesday PM and overly lovey-dovey What Love Means is a sickly-sweet duo but they are at least broken up by the shimmering skill of Welcome to the Sun. Of course, Hollow Meadows is worth a listen – the very worst of Hawley (which this is far from, it precedes it actually) is still far more enlightening and powerful than the peak of Sheffield contemporaries to follow. A couple of strong singles and a steadiness to the first half of this album are all it takes to cement the real language of love Hawley can dictate from time to time – and it makes all the difference on a project like Hollow Meadows.
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