Album Review: Hawkins

Yep. I knew that voice immediately.

Hawkins debut album simply called Hawkins is a true love letter to the music that Victor Hawkins-Sulfa has grown up with and loves dearly. You can tell. Every song here is filled with incredible detail, both from a musical standpoint in regards to the instrumentation, but also to the nuance and production quality. To try and pigeon hole his style for the sake of genre would be an insult. For example, we get belting ballads at times, and then on the track Can’t Leave It Alone, it’s like a tribute to the style that Kimbra really owns on her song Can’t Into My Head.

Overall, there is so much here to digest that it requires a few listens to really appreciate the sheer amount of love for songwriting. What Have You Done, while simple with its guitar backing allows for Victor to sing in so many ways, perfectly captured and reproduced in the recording. The dynamics really bring the music to life.  This is my favourite track on the album for so many reasons, but I don’t want to tell you why. I want you to experience it.

And that is what I remember about Victor. I got to hear and see him perform at the University of Auckland.  And to be honest, it makes me want to get back to hearing and seeing his music live again. That is how I immediately knew that voice. It’s so unique, full of passion and honesty. I can feel it all over this album.

I highly recommend this album.