Sometimes you can tell a lot about an album from its cover art. In the case of Richard Hawley’s Lady’s Bridge, the fourth album from Britain’s classic crooner of the moment, what you see is what you get. Hawley leans back in an exceedingly plush leather chair while sporting a sharp suit and shiny leather boots, looking every bit the dapper Teddy Boy done good. And the music largely reflects that, an exceedingly classy mélange of Elvis, Orbison, and—gasp—Frank Sinatra! Rarely, if ever, has there been an artist whose music has gone over better with indie tastemakers while bearing virtually no connection to music created after 1965, but Hawley’s take on the pre-Beatles songbook—Tin Pan alley pop, rockabilly, traditional folk balladry—is so flawlessly executed he’s managed to breathe new life into forms of music many left for dead decades ago.

But let’s go back to that cover shot again, there’s more to it than posh furniture and Hawley’s massive quiff. Look at Hawley’s face, its air of wistful melancholia can’t be denied, and a similar ghostly vibe permeates every second of the album. Although Hawley may have honed his chops as an axe-for-hire with Brit pop megastars Pulp, his own music is more about the come down than the rave-up. Slow burning torch songs like “Roll River Roll” and “The Sun Refused to Shine,” long on shuffling tempos, shadowy electric guitar tremolo and jazzy minor key piano fills, draw much of their power from Hawley’s sweet baritone, a voice so rich and warm it’s the auditory equivalent of a blazing campfire in the midst of arctic wilderness. Hawley’s voice is equally invigorating in the album’s boisterous musical moments, like the sumptuous string-drenched single “Tonight the Streets Our Ours” and rockabilly rump shaker “I’m Looking for Someone to Find Me.”

Nary a musical hair is out of place on Lady’s Bridge, and over the course of eleven tracks all that classy refinement can occasionally feel a bit stifling, but ultimately it’s refreshing to hear an album so lovingly executed and sturdily constructed. Like the musical icons from whom Hawley clearly draws inspiration, he’s first and foremost a craftsman, and Lady’s Bridge is the sort of flawless artifact that will likely be paying listening dividends for decades to come.

Watch the music video for "Tonight the Streets Our Ours" from Lady's Bridge

Watch the music video for "Serious" from Lady's Bridge