Elegant lyrics and blue-collar soul make for a potent combination on this Texas-bred singer/songwriter’s debut.  That latter quality comes through track after track via the quiet intensity of Mr. Hawthorne’s vocals.  Moods and melodies vary on a set crowded with airplay candidates including “Ovando”, “Dragon Flies”, the rousing working stiff’s anthem “The Gospel Hammer” and the title track. Ray Bonneville produced and Gurf Morlix guests on one of the strongest of recent releases.