BMG
★★★★☆
Richard Hawley has several excellent excuses to explain why In This City They Call You Love is his first new album in five years: his musical Standing At The Sky’s Edge is a West End hit, winning Best Original Score at the 2023 Olivier Awards; he was shortlisted for Best Original Song at the Oscars for co-writing Dear Alien (Who Art in Heaven) with Jarvis Cocker and Wes Anderson; and Hawley released Now Then, an extensive Best Of compilation in 2023.
With its crisp arrangements and airtight songwriting, In This City They Call You Love is worth the wait. Produced by Hawley with his team of Mark Sheridan and Colin Elliot, the singersongwriter’s smoky vocals shroud propulsive rockers (Deep Space), snaky country-blues (Two For His Heels), delicate, twangy lullabies (I’ll Never Get Over You), and solemn, gospel-tinged torch songs (Deep Waters).