I was a latecomer to Hawksley Workman. While I recall hearing "Striptease" while in my halls of residence at Guelph University, I never really got into Hawksley. Perhaps it was because I was too busy listening to Wes Montgomery and other jazz/blues guitarists that I kind of avoided modern music like the plague for a few years.
That all changed a couple of years ago when I was re-introduced to Hawksley, particularly his Lover/Fighter album, but also the Delicious Wolves as well. His sumptuous blend of rock, pop, cabaret, and just cocky showmanship won me over almost instantly. The fact that he has one of the best voices in Canadian music didn't hurt either. Due to my lateness in recognizing his genius, I got bit by the bug right when he entered into a period of mellow albums, Treeful of Starling and Between the Beautifuls, both magnificent albums, but catering to his ageing crowd. So I was a bit surprised when I first popped his latest Euro only release Los Manilicious on the hi-fi. The dirty guitars, the hard edged vocals, all harkened back to his earlier albums but with a bit more of an electronic influence as well. Los Manilicious is a great piece of work, and will please fans of Striptease and his other rockier stuff. If you came into Hawksley during his mellow phase, like I did, prepare to be pleasantly surprised.
While he can barely be called a "band to watch" as he is such an established songwriter, this album is definitely worth checking out.
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