Truelove's Gutter

Richard Hawley's Coles Corner was the first album I bought after my return to the UK from Sweden in 2009. I became very fond of it, and, not long after, also bought what was then his new release - Truelove's Gutter. Both were on CD: I didn't have a good vinyl set-up at that time and my record-player wasn't getting much use. Those two records have remained my favourites of his ever since.

Truelove's Gutter is a set of evocative nocturnes, much of it quiet and sparse. The opening 'When The Dawn Breaks' is an exercise in restrained, subdued melancholy. 'Open Up Your Door' begins in a similarly quiet mode, but the music subsequently swells as a glorious '60s-style string arrangement kicks in. It's one of the album's highlights for me, along with the poignant 'Don't Get Hung Up in Your Soul'.

The songs are all Hawley's own; his guitar work is beautiful; his voice expressive. He co-produced the album too, so is partly-responsible for its dark & velvety ambience. The cover photo illustrates the album's mood perfectly.

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