Coles Corner (20th Anniversary Edition) (half speed remastered) vinyl

The third solo album by urbanely soulful Sheffield crooner Richard Hawley marked a major breakthrough for the artist, earning him a Mercury Prize nomination. Stylistically, it's hard to imagine Arctic Monkeys' The Car era without Hawley writing this album. Yet despite pedaling a different, more garage rock style at the time, Alex Turner's respect for Hawley goes way back: when the Monkeys pipped Hawley to the post and won, Turner exclaimed, "Someone call 999, Richard Hawley's been robbed!" As for other comparisons, Hawley's similarity to Mark Lanegan's husk is hard to ignore, especially when he lets rip. However, when he delivers softer timbres, like on the serene 'Coles Corner', he evokes Frank Sinatra's decadent tones and the majesty of the string sections are an ornate joy, complementing it perfectly. Turner had a point in his acceptance speech... this is prize-winning stuff and finally getting a thorough reappraisal because of the re-release with half-speed remaster.