Lady's Bridge

Richard Hawley | Format: MP3 Download

Product Details

• Original Release Date: August 20, 2007
• Release Date: August 21, 2007
• Label: MUTE CATALOG
• Copyright: (C) 2007 Mute Records Limited This label copy information is the subject of copyright protection. All rights reserved. (C) Mute Records Limited
• Total Length: 48:23
• Genres:
• ASIN: B000W00QHA
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #38,585 Paid in MP3 Albums (See Top 100 Paid in MP3 Albums)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Magnificent Album, November 29, 2009

By 

Kurt Harding "bon vivant" (Boerne TX) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Lady's Bridge (CD/DVD) (Audio CD)

I was recently introduced to the music of Richard Hawley by a friend who had just chanced upon it himself. That album was the newest one (Truelove's Gutter) and I liked that well enough to order a couple more. Lady's Bridge was one that I chose and since I nearly always order the deluxe edition, I ended up with this. What a spectacular, magnificent album this has proven to be! Richard Hawley's voice is so clear and pure it staggers the senses!
Now, I have come to like every song on the CD but naturally I have my favorites. Those are: the jaunty, uplifting Serious; the soaring, inspirational Tonight The Streets Are Ours; the brooding, countrified Dark Road; and the exquisitely realized title cut. The music on Lady's Bridge is smooth, peaceful, relaxing, and a powerful mood elevator.
The deluxe set comes with a very attractive booklet containing pictures and lyrics and also a DVD that not only covers the making of Lady's Bridge but gives a sense of what Hawley is about. His videos are quirky, even goofy in the extreme and in that you can see that he doesn't take himself over-seriously.
I hope Hawley catches on in the States. It would be a shame for a talent this rare to remain obscure. If you are looking for something exciting in music and haven't yet heard Richard Hawley, give this a try. You may find it as addictive as I did.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply marvelous..., April 6, 2008

By 

Nicola Jane - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Lady's Bridge (CD/DVD) (Audio CD)

I'm British, so by default I dislike rockabilly and all forms of country music. Hey, it's in my jeans (sic). And love songs can make me barf. But Richard (who is also a Brit) can do all these things and make it sound completely normal, and totally beguiling.
Simply one of the best albums of 2007.
When, oh when, will Richard get the recognition he deserves people!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My best discovery of the past few years, March 5, 2010

By 

Phil (San Diego, CA) (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Lady's Bridge (MP3 Download)

Richard Hawley is the spiritual successor to Frank Sinatra. There will always be mimics who cop a Rat Pack schtick, snap their fingers, and mouth their best Bobby Darin impression, but that isn't Hawley. As Sinatra did, he really gets into the soul of a song, using that rich baritone voice to emote the song from the inside out. Hawley's albums are a fine example of Sinatra's level of craftsmanship, enjoyable start to finish, with arrangements perfectly tailored to the writing, always complementing and never distracting.

I happened upon Richard Hawley's albums when they were featured on Amazon as mp3 downloads during the buildup to this past Christmas. First the newest, "Truelove's Gutter". TKO! I was so enthused that I immediately downloaded this previous album, "Lady's Bridge". Another TKO. Ah, the two best albums I bought in 2009. I'd have to give a slight edge to "Lady's Bridge" due to it having some change of pace songs in the blend, but that's not to suggest that the more upbeat numbers here are included merely for pacing. The jubilant "Tonight The Streets Are Ours" and the Buddy Holly / Carl Perkins flavored "Serious" in particular are the equal of any of Hawley's transcendent ballads.

These are the days when you can cherry pick the preferred tracks from an album with a few mp3 downloads, but in the case of these two albums by Richard Hawley you'd be cheating yourself if you took that approach. You've probably experienced albums so strong and consistent that you couldn't pick a favorite song. What would it be here? "Dark Road"? "Lady's Bridge"? "Lady Solitude"? The single "Valentine"? The moody and melancholy "Roll River Roll"? Any of these, along with the two upbeat singles already mentioned, could be the best song here. Taste the samples and see if you don't agree, or check out the videos on YouTube to hear entire tracks.

Once you've savored these two, you might step back in time for the album preceding this, "Cole's Corner". Apparently that's the one that really put Richard Hawley on the map. After rabidly consuming these two newest albums I ventured into downloading some of Richard Hawley's EPs. You'll find that the non-album tracks included there are the equal of the songs you find here. In particular, when I burned the newest album to disk for the car I inserted "Sorry I Lost My Way" as a nice change of pace number in the middle of "Truelove's Gutter". The EPs also include a variety of covers that hint at Hawley's love of rockabilly as well as some of his originals reinterpreted in live performance.

I look forward to the next album and hope that the artist has the chance to tour the US sometime soon.