Coles Corner by Richard Hawley released on the Muse record label, 2005, value £80

THIS is the third studio album by Sheffield born singer, songwriter and record producer Richard Hawley, writes MICHAEL BROOKS. It is considered to be his finest, a beautiful unashamedly romantic record with old fashioned songs about love, loss, regret, homesickness that are disarmingly intimate with elements of nostalgia. Inspired by his parents, his dad was a guitarist, mum was a singer. There was such an eclectic range of music playing in the house that you can almost hear the echoes of the past 40 or 50 years on this album.

I first heard the title song parked up in a layby. I was just about to drive off when the song began playing on the radio. It grabbed me so much that I had to listen to it all the way through before driving away. A few days later, I listened to some of the tracks on the headphones in a music store and bought the album; I have loved it ever since.

Richard Hawley can almost be described as a 'jobbing musician.' Over the past 20 years he has enjoyed musical collaborations with artists as diverse as Paul Weller, Hank Marvin, Lisa Marie Presley, the Manic Street Preachers, Elbow, including a short spell as member of the bands Pulp and the Arctic Monkeys. In 2004 he toured with Nancy Sinatra on her UK and European tour and duetted with her on several concert appearances. To date: Hawley has released seven solo albums, all titled and inspired by places and venues in his home city of Sheffield.

Coles Corner was situated in the corner of Fargate and Church Street opposite Sheffield Cathedral. Named after a department store built in 1847, it is still fondly remembered as a meeting place for many courting couples to meet up with their date. It was demolished in the sixties but a plaque put up by the Rotary club now marks the spot and ensures its history is not forgotten. Even today couples still say, "I'll meet you at Coles Corner."

The album itself was nominated for the 2006 Mercury Best Album prize and was favourite to win. Unfortunately, the award went to the Arctic Monkeys prompting member Alex Turner to announce, "Call 999, Richard Hawley's just been robbed!" Indeed he was.