Richard Hawley covering a song made electronic classic by Soft Cell is, on paper, an odd pairing. Dig a little deeper, then. Tainted Love, the classic track originally recorded by Gloria Jones, is a perfect, historic track for Hawley to try. His clear love for the singles of the 1960s can be heard on his 28 Little Bangers and in his recent interviews, talking of those classic tracks which still define him, are evidence enough that he could put together a strong collection of covers. No need when he writes such brilliant songs himself, but it is always nice to hear a new voice on a track of old. His Bob Dylan cover, Ballad of a Thin Man, springs to mind. Tainted Love and the work of Ed Cobb is expanded on by Hawley and his faithful session musicians. Longevity like this lends itself to sudden urges to cover the classics.
This need to take on the Cobb classic is felt here. Classy rock steadiness with a constant acoustic driving through it. Hawley is in fine form here, too, a stellar voice like a diamond in the rough of easy-going rock with an alternate edge to it. Tainted Love is in fine hands and does very well to separate itself from Soft Cell, who are likely the best-known artists to cover this. Dave Phillips and the Hot Rod Gang is the version Hawley remembers, and it sounds like it is the style he guns for here. Slick instrumentals, the constant noise behind his vocals even when they are nothing more than sparse, finger-plucked acoustic work, make all the difference. For a cover which appears to be nothing more than a throwaway effort, Tainted Love is given a spritely, neo-rockabilly sound which Hawley has drifted into on recent releases.
His love for the genre is part of that change, as is a desire not to be seen as just a crooner with a voice of gold. Tainted Love presents a chance to marry those two momentous career choices, with the Lady’s Bridge style of work, the tenderness and skill of a vocal lead paired with some magnificent guitar rock which has taken centre piece on his efforts of the last decade. What could be better than Hawley covering a fine piece of music history? He has done it before, he will hopefully do it again. His work will become a part of that history, and who can tell which musician will take on his words. They certainly stand the test of time – as does Tainted Love.
It feels like a cool meeting of the minds, then. A song which means as much to Hawley as it does to those who likely heard this through Jones or Soft Cell pulled into the modern world once more. Tainted Love is a classic, no way around that. But it is the instrumental change, the conviction of an artist with a vocal shine, that makes it much more than just a cover. Whether we hear this live, or if there is space for it on the next tour, is yet to be seen. Unlikely. But take it for what it is, a wonderful cover which could spring at any moment. An exceptional cover of a song which means a lot to Hawley – and he displays that love rather well here.
