Hawksley Workman, (Last Night We Were) The Delicious Wolves (Isadora/Universal) 9+
Hawksley Workman is a flamboyantly eccentric young Canadian cabaret troubadour, a poetic soul (he's already published a book of poetry called Hawksley Burns For Isadora), Prince-like one-man band (he records his albums in his home studio and plays nearly every note) and spinner of tall tales. On his fictionalized bio, Workman claims he went from shining shoes at a tap-dance academy to becoming their top dancer, as chronicled on his debut album For Him And The Girls. (Last Night We Were) The Delicious Wolves is the latest chapter in his fantastical life story. Here we have young Hawksley losing his romantic innocence when he learns his favorite tap-dance instructor is also another sort of dancer who "moves without the mind" in "Striptease." While he retains his roots in early Bowie, Sparks, Harry Nilsson, David Ackles and Tim Buckley, Workman expands his palate to include early-80s Prince in the playfully funky "Striptease." The city writhes with misplaced desires, and our protaganist is compelled to dance and joyously revel in his newfound lust in "You Me And The Weather" and "Dirty & True," which dresses up Tom Waits in platform heels, sparkles and heavy metal riffs. Workman has a strong voice with incredible range, a worthy successor of Jeff Buckley, formidable competition to Rufus Wainright and Ed Harcourt. His rough home-spun John Vanderslice-like edges on his first album has been smoothed out for a more complex, original sound on Delicious Wolves. Workman's lust for life is infectious. Anyone unaffected by this uninhibited music could only be dead from the shoulders up and the waist down.
