When Coles Corner arrived in 2005, Richard Hawley had recently moved from Setanta to Mute Records, but musically, he was still rooted in the same soil — Sheffield. On paper, it could have been dismissed as a retread of his previous albums Late Night Final and Lowedges.
No drastic sonic shifts. No commercial reinvention. By all accounts, this could have been his “difficult third album.” Thankfully, it wasn’t — and it never felt like one.
If anything, Coles Corner deserved even more acclaim than it received. When it lost the 2006 Mercury Prize to Arctic Monkeys’ Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not, Alex Turner memorably quipped: “Someone call 999 — Richard Hawley has been robbed!”
This wasn’t an album crafted to capitalise on momentum. Hawley himself saw it as a make-or-break moment — if it ended up being his swan song, he wanted it to reflect his identity as a “rootsy player… based on ancient music.” There would be no “big rock out.” Instead, he gave us a tender, cinematic collection steeped in nostalgia, heartbreak, and romance.
The album opens with the title track, “Coles Corner” — a sweeping, string-led waltz wrapped in yearning. “Just Like the Rain,” written when Hawley was just 16, follows with jangly, upbeat folk overtones, though its lyrics cut even deeper with melancholy. There’s doo-wop shimmer in “Hotel Room” and “Born Under a Bad Sign,” where Hawley employs celeste, dulcimer, glockenspiel and a B flat riff to tap into childlike emotions — the result of obsessively collecting over 1,000 doo-wop records. It shows.
The personal touch continues with a cover of the traditional folk song “Who’s Going to Shoe Your Pretty Little Feet?” — passed down from his mother, then sung by Hawley to his own sons. Elsewhere, he channels country greats like Johnny Cash and Tammy Wynette on “I Sleep Alone” and “[Wading Through] The Waters of My Time,” capturing sadness with remarkable subtlety.
“The Ocean” brings a gently psychedelic undertow, while closer “Last Orders” is a meditative, echo-laced instrumental that feels both urban and otherworldly — a perfect curtain call.
The deluxe reissue of Coles Corner adds a bonus disc featuring collaborations, including a standout with Hank Marvin (whose name alone is a nod to pop culture slang), and a raw, reimagined cover of The Jesus and Mary Chain’s “Some Candy Talking.”
Even 20 years on, Coles Corner remains a timeless record. By avoiding trends and staying true to his quietly cinematic vision, Hawley crafted an album that still resonates — with no need for remastering, reinterpretation, or regret.
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