Yahoo! Music Album Review

Released on 23/01/06
Label: Parlophone

He stands on a grey, rain-splattered street, head down, a man alone. Where once he strode unstoppably onwards, a self-made vagrant messiah with his eye on the horizon, now he's calm, muted, almost humble. But look closely at the cover photo of Richard Ashcroft's third solo album and you'll notice something that's not quite right. If he's meant to be a man of the people on this sleeve, adrift in inclement conditions just like the rest of us, how come his coat is practically pristine? Save for a few rainspots on the sleeves and shoulders, it looks like it's come straight from the wardrobe.

That's the problem with Richard Ashcroft in 2006. He made his name as the thinking common man, a lover and a fighter, but it's been years since he's experienced the same hardships as his audience. He has a gorgeous house in the country, a wife and two children, and enough money to keep his day-to-day permanently comfortable. So when he sings that "life can be hard / life can be tough" or that "nothing's going right today / because nothing ever does" it's with a curious absence of sincerity, as if he's just reading the words from a cue card. And once he's mentioned that it's a difficult, unfair world, he has nothing more to add. No depth, no insight, no practical experience.

Were Ashcroft still Mad Richard, a shoeless visionary with his head in the clouds, this vagueness wouldn't be so infuriating. But "Keys To The World" appears to be a deliberate attempt to reposition him back amongst the people (who'll then presumably want to buy his records again). Opener "Why Not Nothing?" is Ashcroft doing a "Lyla", forgoing the drab bombast of recent years for something that sounds like it was knocked out down the pub, equal parts early Roxy Music and solo John Lennon. Unsurprisingly, it suits him - Ashcroft can still pontificate to his heart's delight, and barstool philosophy is much easier to accept. Nodding along while someone spouts baloney must be in our collective DNA.

Unfortunately, Ashcroft's cod-epic tendencies soon creep back in. He cannot rest, it seems, until he's tackled the Big Questions with nursery rhyme platitudes, his personal branch of the Royal Philharmonic, and the guitar solo from Chris Rea's "Road To Hell" (as first spotted on "Song For The Lovers"). "Music Is Power" imparts little more than the title, tied around a Curtis Mayfield sample to distract attention from lyrics like "Do you live til you die?" "Keys To The World" introduces Neneh Cherry to Kasabian with turgid results. "Cry Til The Morning" offers a Stones homage that pales alongside the revitalised form of "A Bigger Bang". "Simple Song" attempts to get back to basics, but still can't resist ladling on the strings. The day Ashcroft gives up his addiction to strings can't come soon enough.

There are some half-decent moments, mostly when he manages to gather up some humility. "Words Just Get In The Way" has a warm, intimate feel, even if it is just a country reworking of Coldplay's "Fix You". "Sweet Brother Malcolm" starts subtly enough, but soon succumbs to Ashcroft's strange knack of making the extraordinary appear mundane. Mostly, though, this album reminds you of that other northern soul who long ago lost touch with reality: Robbie Williams. From the starsailing glory of The Verve to the focus group mediocrity of a former Fat Dancer in ten years. How the mighty have truly fallen.

    by Ian Watson