Truelove's Gutter

Richard Hawley has spent his musical career trying to find the romance in the wee, small hours of morning. His deep, sensual voice, the sweeping orchestrations and the pulse-slowing tempos have made him a king of the nocturnal world. Truelove’s Gutter is his most sparse album to date. Things nearly erupt in the near-seven minutes of “Soldier On”, but just as the drums and strings attempt to break past the boiling point, the tune relents and quiet is restored. In Hawley’s hushed world, there is an elegant grace to the melodies. “As the Dawn Breaks”, “Ashes on the Fire” and the nearly ten-minute “Remorse Code” view romance through the most tragic and pathetic of circumstances. Love letters from earnest lovers are burned and the more one tries to steer one’s life in a positive direction, the more it cruises out of control. The near eleven-minute finale, “Don’t’ You Cry,” is simply epic without ever spiraling out of control. Slowly, the song marches to its sorrowful conclusion.