Richard Hawley, one of Sheffield’s finest singer songwriters, has today unveiled his long-anticipated career-spanning collection titled Now Then. A carefully curated 36-track long compilation, the release serves to further magnify the legacy that Hawley has artfully crafted during his illustrious two-decade career.
By Ruby Brown
In addition to tracks from the singer’s self-titled debut album, Late Night Final, Lowedges, Coles Corner, Lady’s Bridge, Truelove’s Gutter, Standing at the Sky’s Edge, Hollow Meadows and Further, the expansive collection also features examples of his work for television, such as his cover of Bob Dylan’s Ballad Of A Thin Man, which many might remember from the season five finale of Peaky Blinders.
The 36 track long collection starts off strong with the beautiful strings of Open Up Your Door, before drifting into the contrasting, yet beautifully melodic ballad of Midnight Train. Though not left with the feeling that the collection subscribes to any particular theme, the ordering of the tracks is effortless, perfectly blending the more romantic with the melancholic
and the nostalgic ,with some of Hawley’s latest work. The first CD draws to a close with the soulful Otis Redding cover You Don’t Miss Your Water (Till Your River Runs Dry) and the tranquillity of The Ocean.
The second side to Now Then continues to please, starting slowly with the slow, smooth Don’t Stare at the Sun and I Still Want You. But just when you thought you had settled into perfect serenity, On My Mind disrupts the natural order of the collection, injecting a jolt of electricity with its powerful riffs, adding a different dimension to the album’s overall mood.
The second half of the collection exhibits some more of Hawley’s best loved releases, with Born Under a Bad Sign and There’s a Storm a’Comin’.
However, what I love most about this collection is how it separates itself from the countless other ‘best of’ albums out there. Instead of merely harking back to Hawley’s earliest or most acclaimed singles, Now Then brings together the diverse selection of songs from Hawley’s entire body of work. The catalogue consciously includes the more recent and lesser-known
tracks and as a result embraces the entirety of his discography. Now Then is an essential collection for those already deeply in love with Hawley’s catalogue, as well as those looking for a one-stop tour of the singer songwriter’s extensive body of work to date.
The collection will be released on October 20 as a 2CD set, a 2LP colour vinyl collection housed in a gatefold sleeve, digital download and on streaming platforms. You can catch Hawley alongside John Grant at one of his four upcoming shows, whereby the pair will perform the songs of Patsy Cline.