The resurgent Chesney Hawkes is back where he belongs after a phenomenal campaign ahead of today’s release of his new album ‘Living Arrows’. All three of its singles – ‘Loud’, ‘Get A Hold of Yourself’ and ‘Live Forever’ – have all graced the Radio 2 playlist, and he also performed an outstanding BBC Radio 2 Piano Room session. He has also enjoyed a rapturous reception at recent live shows, first touring arenas across Europe as special guest to James Blunt and then selling out his current UK headline run. Listen HERE.
All evidence suggests that ‘Living Arrows’ will be Chesney’s biggest album hit since his 1991 debut ‘Buddy’s Song’. It shows Chesney at his most vulnerable, completely free of inhibitions or doubts. There is heartache, yes, but there is joy, too, and gratitude for everything he has in life. Combined with his heartfelt, candid style of songwriting, the album’s cohesive pop-rock sound paints a roadmap for his children, as he intended, but for listeners, too. It’s evident throughout his greatest work to date that he has nothing to hide.
As you’d anticipate from a man who has gone from teenage sensation to parenthood and into a perhaps unexpected career resurrection, ‘Living Arrows’ is full of the varied emotions of life. There’s the escapist “let’s get drunk and get a tattoo” hedonism of ‘Nobody Like You’, lived-in moments of romantic intimacy on ‘Radio Silence’, and a playful take on the what-might’ve-been love story with ‘The Ballad of Benny & Alice’.
Chesney Hawkes current headline tour has been a triumph, mixing up his iconic hits with emerging fan favourites and fun covers, with the help of his brother Jodie on drums and his son Indiana on guitar – and ‘Living Arrows’ suggests that there will be plenty more to come from him in the near future.
Comments are closed.