Oh Hawksley Workman. You’re so bloody brilliant and frustrating. I can’t help but admire your irreverent muse. In 2001 you came out with
Almost a Full Moon, a delightful set of original seasonal tunes, including the classic “First Snow of The Year,” which I just listened to the other day (because it was). Now you’ve gone and rerecorded that album, making joyous uptempo numbers like “Claire Fontaine” and “Three Generations” all meditative and sleepy. Like Kate Bush’s
Director’s Cut, it’s a curiosity to fans of the originals to hear them reworked, but not essential nor necessarily improved upon. A brand new collection of wintry songs would be more welcome. (
Full Moon Eleven also includes a disc of the original
Almost a Full Moon album.)