[.ca] For Him And The Girls

simply, brilliant:
I honestly can't say enough about this cd, so I'll keep it simple: Hawksley Workman, in one emotion-laden swoon, can single-handedly wound traditional pop-music and erase its preceived bounderies - period.

for EVERYONE & the Girls:
Hawksley Workman deserves a much wider public awareness, but - as long as it means I can enjoy his gigs at intimate venues like the one I attended last night - there are some advantages. Really, you're missing out on one of the best singer-songwriters around. If you draw lines of comparison from Billy McKenzie of The Associates to The Sensational Alex Harvey Band to Neil Diamond to Prince and back to Billy McKenzie, Hawklsey fills the resulting "diamond" shape

To sing along, is to sin along:
He's funny, he's witty, he's strange, and man, can he write melodies of Elton John-proportions. This debut lacks the unity and fun of the second album, however.

A new hero:
If I have to compare HW to other artists to get you to try him out, it goes like this: Bob Dylan meets Steely Dan and Nick Drake filtered through Spoon, with a smattering of Cake and the faint aroma of They Might Be Giants. The most enjoyable thing about Workman is his completely unselfconscious songwriting. He doesn't live and work in a genre; he writes melodies and, more importantly, backing arrangements that compliment and evoke the meaning in the lyrics. The lilting waltz lullaby of "Safe and Sound", the heady calliope of "Paper Shoes" that bleeds into a classic Bowie-esque chorus, and the yearning, vulnerable broken-voice declaration of "Baby This Night" could not be more different from each other, but they fit gorgeously in a progression and are equally evocative. Those who want a singer's pop single to represent everything on the full length album will no doubt be perplexed by Workman. For the adventurous, and fans of songwriters with real heart and cajones, he's not to be missed.

Amazing!!:
The best Canadian CD released in 1999. This album is one hit after another! Do yourself a favour and buy this CD.

• Maniacs
• No Sissies
• Sad House Daddy
• Tarantulove
• Sweet Hallelujah
• Bullets
• Don't Be Crushed
• Stop Joking Around
• All of Us Kids
• Safe and Sound
• Paper Shoes
• Baby This Night
• No More Named Johnny
• Beautiful and Natural