End of the Middle

His most stripped back to date, featuring mostly Dawson’s voice, guitar and percussion, so that when a saxophone appears it drops like a bomb. It is also his most direct and haunting work, and a confident, sophisticated achievement that is surely his best work so far. .... With End of the Middle, Rich has given us the album we didn’t know we needed.

End of the Middle might be more musically restrained than Dawson’s previous albums, but a minor work, it is not.

His songwriting's as powerful and moving as ever, with all the darkly comic touches he excels at. [Feb 2025, p.33]

For, as beautiful as the arrangements are on End Of The Middle, it’s Dawson’s lyricism that raises this up to another level.

The result is the rawest and truest set of songs in his career to date.

An album of rare patience and empathy, ‘End Of The Middle’ doesn’t ever allow itself to descend into forthright commentary. Instead, it presents its scenes to you, inviting you in, and allowing you the time to reflect on the quiet luxury of finding such comfort a drag, in turn asking you to consider the fates of those who would find such a life an aspirational relief from the breadline.

A relatively sparse musical backdrop gives Dawson’s lyrics the space they deserve, with only the occasional squall of clarinet as distraction. A unique talent.

Those willing to meet End of the Middle on its own terms will find a powerfully moving work that turns kitchen-sink realism into something uniquely profound. There's no one who does what Richard Dawson does quite the way he does it, and we should all be glad he shares this gift with us.

Dawson’s command of the nuances of northern English speech and empathy for small, vulnerable things of all ages shines through with all-seeing light. [Mar 2025, p.92]

Drawing out stories across generations, Dawson captures the way memories loom large in the present.

Sure, The End of the Middle might not be as breathtakingly immersive as Ruby Cord or as transportive as Peasant, but it further cements Dawson's place as modern folk's most fascinating auteur, turning historical echoes into something eerily prophetic.