Coles Corner

ganz nettes pop album mit ein paar coolen instrumentals und einigen tracks die ich mir definitiv nochmal anhören werde. viel mehr aber auch nicht

I liked it

Het openingsnummer is mooi! En de rest kan ik eigenlijk ook best goed hebben.

Mooie stem, mooie liedjes, maar op een gegeven moment wilde ik gaan slapen.

Very gentle. The Roy Orbison of Sheffield...

Great when I’m in the mood for it

6/10. Pretty good, wouldn't listen to it again though.

I liked it a lot actually

I went to listen to this album with low expectations, was already prepared to not like it, buuuuut it was a nice surprise. It reminded me of 50/60s music, with a lot of influence from Johnny Cash. Overall a decent album, probably gonna listen to it some more times. Favorite tracks: * Ocean * Just Like The Rain * Coles Corner

This would have been a great album in 1965

Glad to be intrduced

Almost wrote this one off, not sure why it was even on the list. Reading about it, it was apparently critically acclaimed, nominated for a Mercury and such. Finding out that he wrote most of the songs made me warm up to it, at first I thought it was some guy singing standards. The fact that I thought they were standards is a testament to his writing ability I suppose. Gave it a couple listens, in the end coming down in the middle.

Retro-sounding. I can appreciate it but sort of boring for me.

Listened Before? N This was a surprise! Never heard of the man or the album. Pros: Wonderful old-school sound. They keyboards on some of the slower songs are chill-inducing. A nice mellow listen for a romantic evening or a melancholy day. I love the instrumental outtro of "Last Orders". Cons: Some of the songs (Who's Going to Shoe Your Pretty Feet) are too long and meander a bit slowly to keep my interest, but it's a small gripe. I can skip it. Songs added to Playlist: Just Like the Rain Added To Library: N

This one's tough. The album cover kind of looks like a self-distributed album by one of your friend's dads. And then you start listening to it and the strings come in and you feel like "uh-oh, what am I in for." But then the vocals come in and it's not the amateur hour thing you thought it was going to be. But then as it goes on, you realize none of this is connecting with you. And maybe that's because you don't know who Richard Hawley is and nothing in the music is giving you a ton of affection for him. I don't know what the personality is here. I couldn't get into it. But it's a pretty pro sounding record.

Not bad, not bad. It gave me Mark Lanegan vibes, minus a few hundred whiskey bottles and several decades of smoking cigs. Probably the kind of music that would work well in some David Lynch scenes, which is a very specific, but personally enjoyable compliment. If another Richard Hawley record shows up on this list I won't roll my eyes. Pretty. High. Praise, guys.

Calm and relaxing album. Would be nice background music, "The Ocean" my favourite song. All the songs are very similar, nothing extremely standout either good nor bad.

This album was fine. He has a good voice and the lyrics work well enough. It's not my thing, but I could see why people like it. For me, though, it was hard to understand how this album was innovative or significant. It seemed like another late era Brit Pop album that made it to this list because it was popular, not because it was particularly meaningful or groundbreaking. Also, this album just keeps fucking going without really changing or doing anything interesting 3/5

Not really my thing but I can appreciate it, the ocean is a great song.

Had not heard of Richard Hawley before and I don't recall ever hearing any of these songs in the past. I'm not always great at picking up when a musician is performing something ironically, but to me, he is not, and I like that. There is so much familiarity in what he's doing, but it also doesn't sound just like someone imitating or covering music from the past. That's really hard to do. Impressive.

Enjoyable album

Pop. Soul. Lento. Suave

Relaxing and easy listening. Something I could listen to again just trying to unwind.

You would never know this album is from the 21st century. Very easy to listen to and love the crooner style voice.

Cool voice, pretty slow, good song writing, loved the slide guitar in various tracks. Best track: Hotel Room

Definitely an interesting album overall. I dig Hawley's voice, and despite the album falling under a folksy/country umbrella (which I'm not the biggest fan of) I definitely appreciated it and liked the subtle hints of blues and jazz throughout. Favorite Tracks: Coles Corner, Darlin' Wait for Me

Good album, had a nice Christmas feel in parts despite not ostensibly being about Christmas

Pleasant album to be driving through the snowy suburbs and highways of Greater Manchester to.

Rating: 6/10

211121 10:40 3 :(

I have never heard of this man before in my life. But hear me out, he sounds like a mixture of Frank Sinatra, Michael Buble, and Elvis. He has a great sound. Makes you want to sit down with a nice whiskey and with about your existence

A modern 50's pop rock n roll album. Coherent and excellent production, which hides any dud tracks, except for the country ones at the end to which you take notice. Several really great tracks. I like albums where everyone has a different favorite track. Not a fan of the songwriting, which seems like a big component, but there's a lot of other things to like here. Favorites: Darlin Wait For Me, The Ocean, Born Under A Bad Sign, Tonight

Solid album - I had listened to it a few times when it was released and now I again. It is quite pleasant and I may listen to it again in the future, as with so many records: not clear why is in the 1001-list.

Melancholic, dreamy, smooth, and a tad boring to be honest. Seems influenced by singers like Elvis and Johnny Cash.

Chill, jazzy, acoustic album. It was alright

Mislim da bi mi baš više pasao album, bio je dobar dok sam ga slušao, ali sam zaspao. Tak mi je reko Ivan da si ga pustim taman navečer jer tad paše. Dao bi 4 možda da sam stigo do kraja.

It's always weird hearing this kinda oldies-style music coming from someone way after, in this case 2005. I can never really get it out of my head that it's all a big gag, some ironic hipster thing. This honestly doesn't sound bad, but again: how on earth is this something I needed to hear before I die? Or more to the point, why are the only albums in this style i've had so far been by this guy and fucking Morrisey? About the closest thing otherwise has been maybe Johnny Cash, and even then it's still miles off. I'm over 400 albums in; surely there could have been some kind of original crooner-type in there by now. 3/5 cause it's honestly not a bad listen. Biggest criticism is that it's a bit boring. At 45min he doesn't really break any of my album length rules, but it doesn't mix it up at all.

Pausado, tranquilo, relajado, buena voz y melodías.

Mellow to the point I forgot I was listening to music. 3 listens of the album with the same drifting off each time. Happy to know that this album was made in the mid-2000's, fully respect people that just disregard current musical trends and just make the music they want to make.

Looking at the track list I see songs named "The Ocean" and "Born Under a Bad Sign", so of course I'm thinking Led Zeppelin and Cream covers. Turns out not to be the case. In fact, couldn't be much different from those two bands. Pleasant enough, but not really my thing. 3 stars.

First half is like really dark, and almost kinda boring? It sounds like death, not the band but actual dying. Coudln't explain why I felt that way, I could just feel myself slowly aging as it went on. Second half I liked a lore more. I felt like a good amiunt of the music gained a new sort of personality vs. just the sound of slowly dying to alcoholism and cigarettes'.

Ik vind het wel lekkere muziek. Leuke melodieën met een aangename stem. Mijn favoriet is "Just Like the Rain". ***

This was pretty good, but I had had enough by half way through. It was rather samey

this one's easier to be objective about, since i'd never heard of him at all, despite pretty clearly remembering being alive when it was released. it was an interesting mix of tracks i did not care for one bit, and a couple i found really nice. great voice, and of course the one standout track for me was the one that got the least play on that album (according to spotify) - which tells me i probably don't really like his overall style that much. but I Sleep Alone was a great one, just sayin'.

Really smooth listening. Some twangy stuff, soft voice, enjoyable.

Liked this album…. Good listen

All of this guys songs sound like they are the song that plays at the end of the movie as the credits roll. I'm not sure why this came out in 2005 or who this guy is but I liked Ocean. He almost is like a knock off Johnny Cash in a way. And so he is just waiting outside at his own concert for someone to show up and they aren't showing up? Kind a sad.

It was pretty alright

Decent album…not what I was expecting

A lot more interesting in context with what Cole's Corner is, and to me paints a lonely guy who just can't seem to find the love he's looking for. Not my type of music, maybe too slow for me, but the album was good. Its lyrics definitely stand out more than the music for me, except for the title track where the music stands out just as much

Top 3 1. (1) Coles Corner 2. (3) Hotel Room 3. (5) The Ocean Bonus: (11) Last Orders

3.5

Thoroughly enjoyed. Born under a bad sign is my favourite off the album.

Leonard Cohen-ish, Perry Como-ish, Roy Rogers-ish, lounge singer-ish. That probably sounds worse than I mean it to. It’s not sleazy or anything, just kinda beige. Bland. Nondescript. Perfectly inoffensive, but challenges the listener not at all. Still, there’s something comforting about it, like eating a cupcake or snuggling a teddy bear or slipping on your favorite pajamas and staying in bed all day. There’s value in that. Also, holy crap! This album is from 2005! I would’ve guessed 1958.

Fantastic production and a great voice, however, I felt like there was not much sonic variation and many of the songs blandly waltzed along. Nice dinner party background music.

3 1/2

OK

Was very easy listening. Inoffensive - I liked some bits but it was very easy to tune out of.

Sounds like the soundtrack to a Richard Curtis movie.

Really easy to listen but nothing outstanding. Might return to it one day.

Very beautiful, sublime and we'll crafted album

Un départ en fanfare rapidement anéanti par un tapis dans lequel Richard va se prendre les pieds dès le second morceau. Heureusement que l'intéressé a su en rire par la suite en transformant cet épisode potentiellement traumatique en une force avec le lancement de sa propre marque de revêtement de sol.

Song got to my likes. Nice

Best Song: Last Orders Worst Song: I Sleep Alone

pleasantly surprised by how much i liked this album

sacre intro, sinon sympa sans grand renversement de situation, 3/5 vu qu'il y a pas 3.5

A lovely album, nice songs and sounds fantastic

Great voice and nice songs, not quite enough to drag me back though

A wonderful surprise.

This was close to a 4, but a few songs near the end brought this down a bit for me. Still a big fan of this - its very somber and croony, but I like how it feels way older than it is Liked: Coles Corner, The Ocean

Saved Prior: None Off Rip: Coles Corner, Just Like the Rain, The Ocean, Born Under A Bad Sign, I Sleep Alone Cutting Edge: None Overall Notes: Britpop and Easy Listening had a decently enjoyable child

Classic country beats, but recorded in 2005. Interesting.

was always going to be a 3, fairly nice songs and voice but instantly forgettable

It was a surprise back in the mid 00s, such a rara avis in that musical landscape. I always preferred his posterior Ladies' Bridge, but The Ocean is such a beautiful song

nice and slow solid three

Ein Mann wie Whisky. Nicht immer aber in gewissen Stunden genau richtig. 3.4

Mit dem ersten Song hat er mich total abgeholt, mit dem letzten wunderbar wieder rausgleiten lassen, da steuerte ich schon auf eine 4. Dazwischen war mir dann aber zu wenig Variation und zu viel Johnny Cash, und das lag dann nur bei einer zwei. Insgesamt: macht das: 2,5

Semibängeri Skön musik, lite väl långsamt för min smak

Listenable, not very exciting or new. Not my favorite vocal quality

The album sound like crooner music. It is pleasant to listen to. I was surprised by the 'recent' release date.

2.5. I like his voice. Songs, meh.

Definition of easy listening

Not bad

Could have sworn I heard roy oberson a couple of times...

Quite soft and slow, but actually not that bad. Good combination of different genres.

Very pleasant

Ok?

Very okay

Starts off a bit drab, but settles cleanly into a kind of groove as it meanders through a few styles. By the time I got to The Ocean I was certain that I had heard the song before, though I can find no record of that happening. Builds, or rather cruises, to the end, capping off a smooth fifty minutes. This is perfect music to slot into a day, though I'm not sure the album is dynamic enough to draw one back for an active listen.

Interesting album. The Ocean in particular is amazing. The album loses steam later on though.

This is #day703 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and… lately I've been feeling like I'm on a streak of inessential albums. Like, help me understand what makes this particular entry so significant that I'd somehow be missing out without it. Haven't we heard this all before? I'm getting weary of selections like this. Oh well, at least I learned the singer was a member of Pulp and Longpigs. Otherwise, this is a 2 out of 5. Looking forward to #day704.

Like scott walker's less interesting cousin

Idk it’s decent I guess. I this he’s got a good voice but it kinda had the same problem as the divine comedy there’s something kinda offputting.

Competently performed but only relevant because some old people who refuse to let go of the past think this deserved to win the mercury prize over *checks notes* arctic monkeys... I am not an arctic monkeys fan at all but, seriously? In what world? If this album were released 50 years earlier it would be praised for its slick production, but the songwriting is simply nostalgic tribalism.

From Turbonegro to this? Oh, you’re a funny guy, but this will not sit. Die scum! Sorry… I’m still in the Apocalypse Dudes mood.

There's nothing particularly bad about this, I just don't need Roy Orbison style baritone ballads about broken hearts and lost/missed/failed love.

For those who have been waiting for decades for Nick Lowe to turn his charming but limited vocal powers to the project of reviving Neil Diamond's ghost -- Good News! That album exists and has been located. (Neil is actually alive. Thanks, Wikipedia.) The cover photo is a shambolic trainwreck. Get a haircut. And comb your hair. In either order; makes no difference. And then get new glasses. And the all black outfit is ... I mean, come on. Get it together, Hawley! This album has its moments, but overall it is a beguiling blend of the boring and the tedious. With a dash of the tiresome to pull it all together. At least Paul Anka's Nirvana cover on Rock Swings is funny. Closing with something that sounds like it came from a Brian Eno ambient album qualifies as a true surprise.

4/10 Coles Corner is an album in which Richard Hawley peruses his record collection for inspiration, plucks out a selection of tunes and then creates a selection of “inspired by” songs that don’t really add anything new to the music he’s been influenced by apart from a sheen of high-quality modern production. There is a reasonable range of influences here, from traditional mid 20th century pop standards, via bluesy, country and a touch of jazz, but each of those influences seems to be largely imparted in single tracks, rather than being blended together into something fresh and unique. It’s a bit of a weird one, because in passing, I didn’t mind this album. It creates a fairly coherent sound palette, is harmonically rich and full, and doesn’t do anything overtly wrong at any point. He’s also got a really nice voice, with a subtle and warm delivery. But it just didn’t excite me in any way at all. There were times where I felt like I was listening to the kind of thing that Michael Bublé would release as an album track, and others where I felt like this was some spruced up “lost track” from a Johnny Cash record, but at no point did anything really jump out and demand my attention, despite me doing my best to give it that focus. The aforementioned production does give this a modern sheen, but even that feels like it goes a touch too far. The whole thing is reverb soaked and dreamy, but in that slightly undefined dreamy way that you can’t remember the details of when you’ve woken up. The longer this record went on, the less it engaged me, really, and by the end of it, it just felt like a bit of a wash of nothingness. Pleasant enough nothingness, but in all honesty, the only thing I can really remember after three listens through is the general vibe, which is not the sign of an album that managed to resonate with me. Coles Corner - The rich timbre of Hawley’s voice is lovely. This is very pretty in a dramatic, almost musical theatre way, particularly the way the main melodic motif is echoed between the vocals and the strings. It’s a warm and tender piece that’s entirely pleasant, without having much of an edge to it, and while I’m enjoying it well enough, it also isn’t doing much to grab hold of me. Just Like The Rain - This feels a bit lighter of foot and delivers a little more musical range than the opener through its different sections, adding a depth of instrumentation as the track progresses. There’s an edge of country-blues to the rhythm here that gives it a bit of impetus and it does have a bit more that appeals to me musically within the composition, but it’s still nice rather than exciting. Hotel Room - This drifts back towards what Coles Corner was doing, but with a hint of country coming from the slide guitar, which is really nice. There’s a slight jazzy edge to this too and it all calls back to traditional pop of the mid 20th century era but given a more modern, full and clear production style. It’s got a very clear brief and it’s absolutely nailing that, but for me, it’s just a touch safe and a little on the bland side, despite being harmonically rich and warm. Darlin' Wait For Me - The lead guitar here is gorgeous and gives this more of a tonal focus than I was able to find in the first few tracks. From a songwriting point of view, the chord structure feels very familiar, like this has been plucked out of the American songbook, so it’s hardly groundbreaking work, but it’s melodically pleasant, very well performed and produced, and his voice is lovely. The Ocean - Another very nice, easy-listening effort now. I know these are all original compositions, but if someone stuck this on in the background, I’d probably just think we were listening to someone like Michael Bublé singing pop standards. It’s really, really well executed, the orchestration is lovely, but it all feels so safe and samey that I’m just not getting a lot out of it. Born Under A Bad Sign - There’s something of the lullaby to this. There are bits and pieces in this that are very good, like some bits of guitar work, but again, it’s quite bland and repetitive, and the chorus just isn’t doing it for me. I Sleep Alone - This leans more towards the country rock of Johnny Cash. It’s got more rhythmic drive and the groove skips along at a decent, toe-tapping clip. The more laid back vocal works quite nicely against that pace in the rhythm section and I’m getting a bit more out of this than the more laid back efforts. It’s still not lighting a fire in me, but it’s a decent enough listen. Tonight - This is sparse and pretty, but quite boring. As with much of the album, it’s absolutely dripping in reverb. It does get better once the bass comes in to give it a bit of weight and swagger. It’s still very musically repetitive, despite the build of the instrumentation as the song progresses. Four and a half minutes of that same guitar arpeggiation is quite a lot. Meh. (Wading Through) The Waters Of My Time - Back to something more Johnny Cash like. It’s bluesy, it’s pleasant enough, but it’s so derivative as to be largely redundant. Stylistically, I’d say the more stripped back instrumentation and the genre beats that it hits mean that it doesn’t really gel that well with the rest of the record either. Who's Gonna Shoe Your Pretty Little Feet - We’re definitely leaning into that croony side of things now with an arrangement of a traditional song. As with much of the album, it’s well performed and produced, but it’s quite bland and uninspiring. I’m getting rather bored of this album now. Last Orders - This is very, very slow. It’s pretty enough, but it feels like the album is just slowly grinding to a halt. I’d probably have a lot more time for this if the album hadn’t started to drag by this point. But it has.

Formulaic. The whole crooning over romantic strings and jazzy instrumentation. Like, I can never take shit like this seriously. I mean, it doesn't sound bad. In fact, it's well-played, well-produced, not even sung terribly. But it's all ready-made. It's "I want to do this and this and this" and then get studio musicians together to play out whatever the idea is ('cause everyone already know what it needs), and it comes together nicely. And it does, like it sounds fine. Background music for people who aren't me or asssociate with me. Would be great for those people who listen to Norah Jones. Same type of shit: music made for people with property and secure investment portfolios.

Let's all be very honest here and admit that the only thing that's particularly remarkable about this album is the fact that it was made in the twenty-first century... most everything on it having already been played out rather comprehensively in the work of artists fifty and sixty years earlier. The music's nice, inherently, I guess, but for real emotional impact it's relying heavily on nostalgia bait that just does nothing for me. To be even more honest I ought to say that I'm always kind of suspicious of men from relatively-modern times who produce apparently heartfelt homages to the mainstream culture of an era predating second-wave feminism...

I really liked the opening title track. Felt pretty epic. The rest was melodramatic country twang sad boy chamber pop with very little that really caught my attention.

what a voice & what lackluster music. ugh

What a weird album. I understand this guy is from the band Pulp, which figures: during the the earlier part of the album he sounds like he's doing a poor impersonation of Jarvis Cocker, then it slowly devolves into a poor impersonation of Johnny Cash. Either way, the music style is a huge throwback - I don't think it was awful, however that definitely threw me. I wouldn't listen again.

Maybe I just wasn't in the right mood for this miserable, plodding croonfest. Or maybe it's a really boring and insignificant album.

p906. 2005. 2 stars. Roy Orbison wannabee without the songs or the voice. This is a single paced dirge. No thanks.

A pretty calm and uneventful album.

After reading some of the reviews I thought “hmm, that seems like something I might like.” But after listening I’ve gotta agree with some of the negatives. Meh. Schmalzy. Mawkish. Bathetic. Nah.

2.5

An entire album at 33 1/3 that should be played at 45. Just ponderous.

Feels like listening to a modernized Sinatra, due to the singers slow way of singing and low voice and the variation in terms of sound, as it blends traditional pop with singer songwriter and country. While this might sounds an interesting experience, I find it to be quite boring nonetheless. All the songs here are super slow with most of them lacking any charm that appealed to me. Not even the soothing orchestration and the very clear sound could really caught my attention. I do however like a lot "The Ocean". Is a really beautiful song that has a sense of growth, as the vocals and instruments get more intense as the track passes. It is truly the best song in here. The rest I think lands in a range between boring and decent.

Jazzy Sinatra achtig

This would be fine at a restaurant where I could sip wine and be able to talk with people at my table, instead of the ones that I compete with old top 40, the football games from the bar and all the people trying to talk over the same.

Not really for me. Sounds like 50’s slow pop.

Not for me, nothing bad to say about it but just a bit underwhelming

2.5 Not sure who that music was made for but I don't think it's me. Just find it extremely dull tbh, not sure why but baritone vocals don't really do it for me, sounds like someones taking the piss. There were some decent moments - the ocean, I sleep alone, and last orders were pleasant, but unfortunately on too many tracks I was dying to press the skip button. Wrong vibe for me.

Relatively boring album. It sounds good. Vocally it's good, but it's like a soundtrack to a sad movie of some guy that got stood up and is holding some flowers in front of a theater in the movie poster. Wait, that's the album art. A+ decent.

Adult alternative is an underrepresented genre on this list. That’s not to say I like this album that much, but it is a worthy observation.

Okay I'm 3 songs in and I'm giving up. This is sapping the life from me. Each song takes years off my life. By the time the album is over, I'll be elderly enough to enjoy it. 2 stars, because although this is one of the most boring things I've ever heard, it is at least recorded and performed well. Not for me.

Not so wild about this, I enjoyed one or two of the more "C&W" tracks, but it largely bored me. Not offensive though. 2.5/5

Meh 2/5

No, this is not my music. The music quite good, the singing is quite good, and even the songs are quite good. But everything on the album is slow, soooo slow. And this monotony simply makes the album as a whole quite boring.

Nice voice but didn’t care for it.

Well executed, but almost completely uninteresting to me personally. "The Ocean" may be the best song here. "I Sleep Alone" is pretty decent too. I can't in good conscience call it bad, but it's boring. Nothing I'd choose to listen to again.

Quite pleasant easy listening. Nothing special, and nothing to hate. Not for me 2.

This may be the whitest album on this list.

Hopefully the Coles Corner hangout is not as boring and forgettable as this album

Tää ei ollut mitenkään erikoinen levy. Aikalailla hissimuzakia. Ei jäänyt mitään mieleen.

Had a hard time getting into this one. The retro vibe was ok and it may have been an attempt at soft rock but it could be more accurately described as flaccid.

Kind of wild that this came out in 2005; it sounds like songwriting from the 70s with 90s production. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it’s just really out of place. I’m not sure who the audience is here other than clear channel radio. Completely forgettable but not unpleasant.

- Love his silky crooning vocals. - The songs are soothing, but nothing really stands out beyond his voice, and nothing really excited me that much.

I want to like this, but I don’t. Sounds a bit like Roy Orbison.

You read a bit on the effort and it's classified as pop-rock by an artist you've honestly never heard of before. Not Something to look forward to if you're not a pop-rock kind of person, so I was groaning slightly before I even hit play. And when I finally did... what? What is this supposed to be? I was feeling a retro blue-eyed-soul influence with an occasional Americana spin. I always find it curious when an English artist appropriates that traditional American folk sound, and I suppose it's pretty well done and varied, the effort feels cohesive, it's just a giant chore for me to finish. I made it to the end with zero hopes for a second listen. 2/5

This sounds like lounge-singer stuff from the 70s, but it's from 2005. Is it some kind of great leap forward for lounge singing? Why is this on the list rather than an originator of the genre? Not that I want to listen to either of them, you understand. Now that I have read this guy is out of Pulp, I do hear a bit of Pulp in there, but not enough to interest me. And I could actually go and listen to Pulp if that's what I wanted to do.

I wasn't familiar with the name Richard Hawley, but several songs on “Coles Corner” sounded familiar to me. I don't have much to say about the content; this album doesn't strike me as particularly noteworthy. I think it's fine for an album to include a few slow tracks. But ballads that take up the whole album? I don't really need that. Sure, the songs are all fine and the production is thoroughly professional. You can certainly do it that way, but on a list of the best albums of all time, I actually expect something that’s somehow special.

sounded like british country, a bit boring

Movie music for artistic directors. 2/5

Mid.

boring

The first track is a throwback to the days of crooners. The second track adds the jangle of almost western style, but still with that same Mel Torme feel. This is where I stifled a yawn and tried not to skip to the next track. The third track imitates early rock tracks and now I feel like I'm being taken on a tour of historical musical styles. The fourth track feels like an early Elvis Presley\Buddy Holly song and now I feel pretty sure of the cavalcade of American music styles theory of this album. So when I get to Born Under a Bad Sign, it definitely isn't what I had anticipated. All the tracks are looking back to earlier musical styles. If nostalgia is your thing, you might find something here. I'm going to listen to Lou Reed's Perfect Day and maybe some Misfits/Rockabilly to get the taste out of my mouth.

Stinks, but no worse than Pulp. Has to be worth something.

Made me feel like I was in a nursing home.

There’s no need for this. Not awful, I liked the last song the most. 2.5/5

Boring

This sounded much older stylistically than it is, at least to me. Pleasant enough but not my favorite.

Moreeee UK alt man

2000s crooner

Some of the most toothless, generic music I’ve heard on this project. At least it’s well-produced and well-performed.

Did not care for this guys voice. Other than that, the music was ok but not something I’d probably listen to again. Melancholic crooning is how I’d describe this album. (2)

Really boring

Yet another boring album

Haunting voice and overall ambience. I didn't hate it but didn't love it either. 4.5/10 Top song Just like the rain

"Coles Corner" is a decent song. Often a simple song is better at making you feel something. "Hotel Room" reminds me of Santo & Johnny. And like their vocal-less music, this one could have done without vocals and more pedal steel I do wonder if I needed to hear this before I die. Makes me wish there were more records here from countries other than the US and UK. That being said, I enjoyed it somewhat. There's emotional potency at least. The last track was nice, a bit of ambient which we haven't had yet.

Crooner? Elevator or grocery store aisle music of previous generations, just recorded this century. Voice is ok; arrangements are ok. It's just ok background for a nap. ⭐⭐

Sweet aber find persönlich bisschen schnulzig langweilig, aber für so einen Abend bestimmt top

Too slow for me. Probably good to fall asleep to. The ocean song was good.

When to listen: while cooking a fancy dinner and drinking a glass of red wine... AKA you need to concentrate on the cooking and not on the music. It's pleasant, it's background-y, but it didn't rearrange my mind.

Mm boring

a tad snoozy. apart from 'the ocean', which was delivered without any power or passion, this album was just boring and tedious

Accurate 50s pastiche, not for me

beetje saai

I feel the need to point out that "Elvis Costello vibes" aren't typically a good thing. So the 5-star review with that as its main justification isn't convincing at all. Fortunately the comparison to Costello is pretty inaccurate (at least in terms of vocals), and the sonic similarities mainly lie in the instrumentation. Much less fortunate is the fact that, unlike Costello, Hawley's contributions to 21st-century music are extremely and consistently dull. Now don't get me wrong: the choice of instruments is pretty solid. We start with an old-Hollywood-esque number that wouldn't be out of place as a love ballad in a musical. So the lyrics are a maybe a little surprising: this isn't about love at all! (At least, not love of a person.) It could feasibly be a Christmas ballad with a few lyrical tweaks. Hotel Room makes you want to sway, dance, maybe shine your phone light back and forth at the concert. The chord progression is the extremely predictable Heart And Soul classic – so it sounds decent until you pay attention and realise there isn't that much cool stuff to pay attention to. With all these underwhelming aspects taken into account, I have to assume Hawley is a lyrical musician to get any level of critical praise – but lyricism isn't something I pay heed to when judging music. (Though, just when I think the soft, understated instruments are this album's main strength, dang it, Who's Going to Shoe Your Pretty Feet shows up without any instruments at all. What am I supposed to with four minutes of soft, mumbled, slow, arrhythmic crooning?) The Ocean isn't *quite* as good as its Led Zeppelin namesake. (Actually, to be honest, the comparison isn't close at all. Zep beats all of these tracks with essentially any track from their own discography.) But Hawley's version is still fine. It really goes all-in on the two-chord thing (I-iii-I-iii-...) which can get pretty repetitive. There isn't much excuse for this lack of innovation in 21st-century inclusions in the list of 1001 most important albums of all time. Later on the record, Tonight appears to do the same thing, but has much fewer interesting things going on sonically. (Wading Through) The Waters of My Time is a dull ripoff of San Tropez (Floyd, Meddle, 1971) – complete with a near-identical guitar melody and sound during the solo. I say "dull" here because it's a heck of a lot less groovy than San Tropez. 2/5 Key tracks: Coles Corner, The Ocean

This is well-executed, but mostly really samey and quite dull? I was starting to like the alt-country vibes on the last track, but it did not make up for a whole album of Sheffield Man Is Not Johnny Cash.

What a massive waste of time.

A bit boring, but definitely not bad

British people sure do love Pulp, don’t they?

Ganska intetsägande i gränslandet mellan singer/songwriter och crooner. En tvåa

I recognised the voice and style immediately from Elbow's "The Fix" which, honestly, I wasn't a fan of. All in all there were parts of this album I enjoyed, but as a whole it was just so incredibly boring.

Doesn’t quite make it with me; a somewhat credible attempt to mirror a mix of folk music & crooner. Strikes me as monotonous & a bit irritating.

Boring, just very boring. Not good, not bad. 2/5

Rigtig fint chamber pop? Synes det var decent, men måske også en anelse forgetable. Tror det er noget jeg skal genbesøge senere.

Crooner meets old time music - kinda trite but good singer.

Mostly boring

nothing really standout here in my opinion. this album, i thought, almost sounded like american country at some parts, but others it had a nice indie spin to it. it was aight, but nothing i would really come back to. i liked 'The Ocean', but could leave the rest of the album

1. corner - 1.5 2. rain - 1 3. hotel- 1.5 4. uuait - 2 5. ocean - 1.5 6. born - 1 7. alone - 1 8. tonight - 1.5 9. uuaterz - 1.5 10. feet - 2.5 11. orders - 1.5

not my vibe lol

sounds pretty lame. no catchy melodies.

Look at me I’m melancholic

Singer-songwriter, 65 eme album =>2/5 Pas désagréable mais rien d'original. Morceaux (et album) inutilement longs.

Ovo je kao malo manje nepodnošljiv Nick Cave ili nešto (mrzim Nicka Cavea i nadam se da ga ovim neću prizvati).

Well, that was pleasant. I like the final instrumental of Last Orders.

Costó una banda. Entiendo que debe estar bueno que un artista haga un álbum asi en 2005 pero imagino mejores canciones se hacían antes de este mismo género. 4/10

This dude really wishes was a crooner. I found a single song to even be really enjoyable, and the rest of the album was forgettable. Another pick on this list that doesn’t deserve its spot.

전반적으로 무난한 리듬, 무난한 흐름. 잔잔해서 듣고있자면 잠이 온다.

hes got a nice voice but this was incredibly boring

Sounds like that stupid song from love actually that the pop star sings a Christmas version of. Boring.

Didn’t know anyone made this music anymore.

A perfectly cromulent album. Almost frustratingly generic.

Pleasant but boring and entirely forgettable

As big of a fan of 'The Car' by Arctic Monkeys I am, I was surprised that this one left me a little bored. There are some good moments here and there, but I found the arrangements pretty sleepy and unimaginative.

Richard mate this is good music but I’m not really that into it

It’s a good record. Nothing that is not available other places but it’s solid. Probably wouldn’t seek it out but I am glad I came across it.

It's okay, but it makes me question how this record is on this list. There's nothing inherently captivating about this record. It gets a little weird past the half way point too. Favourite Track(s): Coles Corner, Just Like The Rain Least Favourite Track(s): Who's Going to Shoe Your Pretty Feet

Didn’t really stand out to me

Too slow for me. Liked The Ocean

this record is Tylenol PM. Maybe I just don't get it. "I Sleep Alone" could be used during a movie montage...that's something, I guess?

The voice is lovely but stays safe all the way through. Ended up too gentle for me.

Started off liking this - nice voice - but after a while realised I'd stopped listening. It's just too bland.

I wondered whether my opinion of Richard Hawley might have changed in the 10 years since I saw him at Cardiff Student Union. I am much more into crooners now than I was a decade ago, and it’s true that some of Hawley’s romantic, mellow style sits more comfortably with me now but even accounting for genre his music is extremely uneventful. His fans hail Cole’s Corner as the best of his LPs so I can only imagine how little happens on a typical album! There’s a nice, swaying lyrical nature to it but I’d prefer to be listening to a grander, more detailed Elbow album.

A bit insipid and generic. OK for background music. 5/10

Mystic Seaport rock

It was fine

I need a bit more music in my music

It’s got some okay parts, maybe a 3 on a good day

Not really my thing. Guy has a nice voice but this is not my style of music.

This is really not my thing

Too slow for my tastes. ★★

Like one of the classic crooners but with no memorable hits

mmm

Quite listenable but I agree with those who call it boring because I also can't find a single remarkable facet on this album.

A British Roy Orbison?

The Ocean

Another album that's not for me. I won't say it's not good. The songs have a good structure and lyrics. But it's not something I would listen to voluntarily.

Crying (tears of boredom) into my beer

Boring. There’s some potential here, but it never gets there.

Pretty boring and certainly not essential.

Is this what people mean when they describe music as "Americana?" (Funny enough recorded by a British dude) An ok mix of blues/jazz/folk that sounds like something I'd here in a department store. I will give it props that it did fit my early morning commute perfectly. However, when the sun came up and I was more awake I gave the album another listen and found it a bit drab and boring and I wish I was listening to all the artists that clearly influenced this album rather than the album itself.

Listened to most of this while food shopping, and when passively listening wasn't a terrible experience. Feels like another brit bias pick. Not for me.

Not my bag, but this wasnt bad by any means. Hawley has a thick and deep Sinatra like voice with Leonard Cohen’s dark vibes. Good diversity of tracks on the album. Some are a little slow though I definitely need another spin or two on this. Somewhere around the 2.5 star mark

Man, this album was fucking lame. I was so bored by every minute. This guy sounds like he's on a near lethal dose of lithium at all times. What a comedown from HYBRID THEORY

Reminds me alot of an artist I used to like - Jens Lekman. Finding this just a little too snoozy, doesn't really go anywhere new. Needs more turn table scratching.

2.09

Sounded like early 2000s Nick Lowe albums, but less interesting.

This is the kind of junk that makes this list tilted brit. I don't get this. It could be anyone from Harry Connick to someone in a NYC club who is down on his luck. cmon man do better... 3.0

Every song is exactly the same. Wore thin after the first few tracks. Lovely songwriting skills though.

Was a little too old lady/waiting room vibes for me honestly? The Ocean is a standout song though so honestly like a 1.5 but I guess I’ll round up.

Boring

This didn't work for me. Some of the music was pretty. I don't like this guy's voice, and hearing it for song after song got old. I don't think he's quite the crooner he thinks he is. Maybe someone like Brendan Perry would have better results. There's a lonely, nighttime feel to it, but with a weird hint of cowpoke country-western that made it unintentionally comical at times. Overall it feels sleepy. A relatively benign, completely forgettable album.

It was fine while I was listening to it, and then after it ended I immediately had no desire to listen to it again. There’s a real over abundance of albums like this on the list. Male singer-songwriters from 95-2010 that all kinda sound like this. Baritone, Baroque, Romantic. Kinda Morrissey. Kinda Wainwright. Shit that really set off indie music websites reviewers. Best of 2005 on Pitchfork type album. And, like, it’s all so self-important. And not that memorable.

Not my speed

Had 1 song I liked, but the rest was pretty boring & unremarkable.

I'm compelled to give this album a chance to make its case because I listen to a fair amount of whatever we're calling this genre - southern gothic? haunting country ballads? sad western dirges? After listening, I have no doubt that Richard is an accomplished musician. Musically, the arrangements are very good, but he doesn’t have the voice to push this over the finish line for me. I'd say he's about 90% there, but give me a few big notes and prove your chops! Like my review of Bill Callahan’s Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle, I’d love to hear covers of these songs from more competent (and compelling) vocalists. I can see myself adding a few tracks to my "ImPECKable Summer" playlist, but I don't know if I'll come back for the full album again. I'm also not totally convinced this makes the list if it was done by an artist who wasn't already 'British famous' when it was released.

Reminds me of feelings of longing, a bit sad and melancholic. A lot of loneliness, and longing for a partner. *Wading through the waters of my time* reminds me of Johnny Cash, a few of the other tracks as well. An okay album, but I definitely prefer Pulp. Musically a bit boring for me.

It's alright; it's almost a predecessor to late Arctic Monkeys, but maybe that's Sheffield coming through. Feel this is on the list as a zeitgeisty 2005 "This is going to be revered forever it NEEDS to go in the book otherwise i'm going to look like an idiot", but has since been forgotten

It's decent whenever the pace picks up, but there's too much dreary crooning guff in between the fun bits.

Det startede med kedelig Frank Sinatra agtig crooning og hik over i forfærdeligt country sang

Baroque country pop not really catching my ear

I was caught up by the first track but then rather disappointed the rest of the way. It all sounds the same to me, and far too soft for my temperament.

An uninspiring trip down a well-trodden path. Laconic country’ish crooner — a little Johnnie Cash mixed with Frank Sinatra and Roy Orbison. But boring. Sounds like the kind of music a male movie lead would listen to as he sipped his 🍸 overlooking the Hollywood Hills at dusk. A two.

Not my thing. Quite a boring listen, I did think this album was a lot older than 2005 though.

Ah, yet another slow album with a baritone. I do enjoy the vocals here slightly more than yesterdays (Nick Cave); but that's maybe the only positive thing I can say about this album. Not that I can say anything negative either - It isn't bad or offensive, just not my thing. Actually, now that I finished listening to it fully, I can say one more positive thing: the last track was superb. Listened to it like 4 times on repeat. Overall 4/10 Favorites: Last Orders; The Ocean; Born Under A Bad Sign

2.5

Quite depressing, and not in a good way.

Monotonous but otherwise decent easy listening.

Imagine faire un album de crooner en 2005. On rigole, mais imagine.

This shit was so boring.

The album is good, but not my style of sound. You can hear influences from scuffle, new wave and lots of good good British sound. The Neo classic style is rather boring to me. Album is balanced and I cant say it's not good.

Wasn’t really for me. Almost sounded like a Xmas album.

This was alright but I didn't get much out of it

Calm background music that doesn't linger

ok, but not my listening to kind of music

Odd selection. Rough start leads to a few peaks and ends well… There are some truly great songs on this record but as a whole it’s underwhelming with limited lyricism. Listening to an artist perform a homage to specific genres only works if it’s either an adaptation or complete committal to the period - this feels more like a studio recording of someone acting the style out. Hard to understand why this made the list but I appreciate the exposure.

Too much crooner for me. I gave it an extra star for the country-ish song “(Wading Through) The Waters of My Time“ which was the only standout. The rest I don’t ever need to hear again before I die.

Generic background music. Kind of cozy, nostalgic-ish but not something I’d remember or return to.

immensely boring. this is fine enough to hear in the grocery store or something, but i’m truly tired of seeing stuff like this on this list that’s supposed to have some magnitude

The Ocean is really gorgeous. The rest is kinda boring but that one song is really good and the rest was easy on the ears so meh.

The first album on here that I’ve never ever even heard a single track from or the artist!! Such a nice surprise. Laid-back baroque bliss.

So soporific - I almost fell asleep on the treadmill. No one else could turn "BORN UNDER A BAD SIGN" into a lullaby.

Kind of just feels like a trite throwback croooner stuff. Why not just put the obvious influences on the list

Second half dragged

What a bunch of cheesy bulshit. Decent music though.

not good, yet not bad

Sounds boring.

Elvis presley ??? En 2000 ????

Too many of these albums have just blended together. Similar stuff, nothing to write home about

Likte da ikkje

Very adult contemporary, kind of soft old feeling with a little jazz fusion. It's fine but pretty one note, not mad at it but it didn't make me feel anything about it really

Chill but nothing special

Easy listening / adult contemporary feel. Not bad but that last instrumental song lasted forever and sounded like church music gone wrong.

At least he's better than Leonard Cohen

Couldn't finish the first song. No thank you.

Standout Songs: Just Like the Rain I Sleep Alone Nearly fell asleep while walking to work because I was listening to this album, what a snoozer

Ok. Last Orders is a great song 2/5

I look forward to putting this on and having incredibly boring sex.

This was ok. Seemed like one that needed repeat listens

The crooner vibes weren't it for me

The vibe is generally nice. But musically and lyrically, just stops short. Repetitive and not particularly inventive.

Would be super impressive if it came out 40 years prior.

It's alright, but couldn't I have listened to it after departing my earthly body? Perhaps on the elevator up.

This was kind of boring, but kind of beautiful. It felt almost country in a way, but then had the beautiful orchestra. The guitar was on point, and I love a lot of the chord structures. But, I don't know if I'm ageist, the guy's voice felt not as strong or poignant as I would've cared for. I felt like I could fall asleep at any time. 2/5

I didn't hate it but its a one and done.

Fun fact: the only Richard Hawley track in my library is his cover of John Cage's 4'33" on the STUMM433 compilation. Now onto playing this album! My feeling is that it's a bit too easy-listening for me - too much crooning. That said, it's hardly an offensive album (though that isn't much of a compliment).

Just didn’t enjoy this all that much

Overall: 1.9/5 Favorite Song: Just Like The Rain Notes: A talented guy with a beautiful voice. While this album was not at all for me, I can appreciate the beauty in his music. Neither pop nor punk, this album had me feeling like I was at a 90s homecoming dance awkwardly slow dancing with my crush around parent chaperones. After reading the wikipedia, this makes much more sense considering Coles Corner is at the lovers' stomping grounds. I was shocked to see the album was released just 20 years ago

Bore off mate

Very palatable crooning although it feels a bit overly clean and smooth to achieve the down beat country folk it is aping.

This was really boring. And very forgettable.

Not my jam... Idk man just not enough depressed boomer core in me

A couple decent tracks, but overall boring.

Hab irgendwie bei ein paar Liedern an Elvis Presley gedacht. Hab ihn dann gegoogelt und er hat auf jeden Fall ne ähnliche Frisur. Tatsächlich ist er aber eher von Johnny Cash beeinflusst - passt auch. Mich hats nicht sooo abgeholt, würde gern 2,5 Sterne geben.

Also, ich bin eigentlich fest devo überzüügt gsi, dass de Richi mir es klassischs 2er Album uf em Silbertablett serviert, aber nacheme biz füechtfröhliche geburtstagsaperöle hani das Album bim abwäsche nomal glost und doch paar qualitäte müsse feststelle. Isch jetzt keis Album woni in zuekunft würd lose aber für de mood ide besagte halb stund hets föllig glanget. Prosecco sei dank. und meh Prosecco sei danker. Darum gnüss die drü flügende Korke Richi und bis ned so ganz bald wider! (edit 2 lieder wiiter) Fuck country, chum mer vor wie bi SpongeBob, nimm der wider en Punkt weg

He's got a good voice but this whole this is just kind of plodding and boring.

Moody and melodic but not for me

not rlly my type liked the first song

This takes the Leonard Cohen formula and adds better singing at the cost of worse songwriting. Not particularly my thing, but I get some people probably like it.

- A couple of borderline interesting songs; "Cole's Corner" sounds like it could be crooning me at Christmas and "The Ocean" has some atypical backing that had me perk up. - "Who's Going to Shoe Your Pretty Little Feet" should be taken out and shot. Just horrible. - I do not dislike much here. But including this album instead of hundreds of other way more diverse and groundbreaking options is rage-inducing. Why should I listen to an old white Brit imitate styles from decades past when I can just listen to the originals and be much more entertained and engrossed?

Kind of surprised to get an easy listening crooner on this list. I suppose they call it country but this feels closer to Musak than country. Not my bag. Born Under a Bad Sign and I Sleep Alone were pretty good. Then Tonight comes in and just crushes the mood and was down hill from there.

So, I don't know what I was expecting from the album cover and such -- and for all the songs I was able to listen to, I honestly couldn't tell if I liked it or not. It was the strangest thing, I felt like my opinion of a song could swing wildly within the song........IDK man, just weird.

While I do not think this is bad music, I think it is mostly very "edgeless" and watered-down. It reminds me a bit of music like Nick Cave or Elvis Costello with Burt Bacharach, but "Coles Corner" rarely had anything of interest and just felt like something that would play in the background of a movie about old people. I did like the last few songs the most, when it got more somber, but it still wasn't enough for me to ever want to listen to this album again.

Kuulostaa kuin tyyppi tekis leffaa, itse soittimet ovat niin taustalla ja laulu, ”näyttelijä”, niin keskellä. Miellyttävän kuuloista kyllä, rauhoittavaa ja kaunista ja pehmeää. Mutta kaipaan musiikilta iskuvoimaa, soitinten tahtoa päästä etualalle. Melkein kolmonen silti.

Not terrible, just boring. I really don’t think this deserves to be on this list. There’s so many below-average British albums taking up residence on this list, and this is one of them.