I'M REALLY enjoying Richard Ashcroft's brand new album, These People. This is an artist who has made some very beautiful noise over the years – whether as The Verve's main man or as a solo act.
From the haunting pleasure of Urban Hymns to the lush melodies of Keys To The World, there is a wealth of material in which to indulge.
With this new record Ashcroft draws on all his familiar talents and quirks and puts them to perfect use. The velvet unforced vocal, the cinematic strings, the lilting bridges and uplifting choruses are all thankfully in evidence and standing tall on an album that upon first listens seems to have been worth the lengthy wait.
The opening track, Out Of My Body, is a strange but effective mixture of country soul and electro synth pop and pushes the album out to sea, powerfully plotting the course and setting the pace.
They Don't Own Me has a strong Verve's Lucky Man flavour which is no bad thing while the current single Hold On boasts verses as potent as most band's choruses. This Is How It Feels is a modern epic ballad that also echoes 60s-style songwriting with its Righteous Brothers-meets-Walker Brothers delivery and actually reminds me in places of the the Conway Twitty classic It's Only Make Believe.
Everybody Needs Somebody To Hurt is my favourite track on the record, with its Bob Marley Could You Be Loved intro and its beautifully understated chorus.
You can tell that Ashcroft has a head full of musical references and profound influences but one of his greatest talents is his ability to blend them all perfectly together and arrive at his own distinct formula.
He has called upon long-standing cohorts Chris Potter and Will Malone to help him fashion the panoramic sound of the record and that has undoubtedly paid off – there is material on this album that is every bit as good as The Verve's highest highs. But of course that fever pitch has long shifted, that scene has passed and even though the quality clearly remains, the fashion has changed and Richard's music will be sought out by fans rather than be thrust into the spotlight by the mainstream media.
That's fine, though: that's not where Ashcroft is at in his life or career right now. Artist and devotees alike will simply be thrilled and fulfilled by the results of his latest labours.
