Once known as a spectacular touring guitarist with Pulp, Richard Hawley opened his mouth and surprised the music world. His talents for singing, writing, and arranging are so fully realized that it seems criminal he was once shuttled off to the sidelines. Each of his albums features enough highlights to make it essential listening for anyone who loves the dark romance of Roy Orbison or the spooky atmospherics of Tindersticks. Hawley's deep voice makes every word sound profound, and a feeling of romance and nostalgia haunts these tunes. He writes with a flair for a bygone era that may never have existed but is suggested by the idea of French films and mature nightclubs where couples sit together in booths while wistful pop music plays. "Baby, You're My Light," "Love of My Life," the Jimmy Webb-like "The Nights Are Cold," the acoustic lullaby "Lonely Night," and the mechanical doom of "Precious Sight" add to one of Hawley's most varied collections.