at a glance...

Hometown: Wigan, England
First Recordings: 1991

Personnel:
Richard Ashcroft -vocals, guitars, etc.
Kate Radley -various

Related Artists:
The Verve, Oasis, UNKLE, DJ Shadow, Spiritualized, Dot Allison, Massive Attack

The man who sang Ink Blot's Song of the 1990's has a lot of people expecting great things from him for the new millennium. For the most part, Richard Ashcroft's debut solo disc delivers. Essentially a Verve record with more sonic flourishes, Alone With Everybody isn't going to present too many new ideas. Not unlike Oasis' recent effort, Ashcroft employs more Rhodes/Mellotron instrumental accompaniment throughout, as well as ushering more orchestral string arrangements and gospel-inspired backing vocals into the foundation of most songs. Ashcroft surpasses Oasis, however, with an album full of soulful and genuine expressions of hope.

Some may faint at the concept of Ashcroft being - gasp! - content, but this is what makes Alone, primarily an album of love songs for his wife, float. Expectantly though, Ashcroft prefaces his newfound outlook by expressing regret over the death of his former band. "I Get My Beat" seems to speak of the band's once uncertain future, asking the open-ended question "Who are the winners in the game we're playing?" "Brave New World," finds Ashcroft adrift, telling us "I try to believe in anyone/Look at the state I'm in."

Love may be Ashcroft's savior on Alone, though considering the pedestrian way "On A Beach" and "New York" speak and sound like hollowed-out Verve tracks, you almost wish Ashcroft remained hopeless. When he does get it right, you forgive and forget such transgressions. Though we endure a line as clichéd as "This world wouldn't be a world without you in it" on "Crazy World," his passion-filled delivery forces you to take his words as gospel. Sweet paeans like "You On My Mind In My Sleep" and "Slow Was My Heart" unfold with lovely, tender emotion, while the Stones-ish "Money To Burn" is a groovy jaunt of steel guitars and blues-y freedom. The breezy up-tempo "C'mon People (We're Making It Now)" is the album's uplifting highlight, which finally finds the always pensive and moody Ashcroft "feel(ing) fine now."

Short of transformation, Ashcroft has made the best album he was capable of making. Cynics will call Alone With Everybody too trad to be considered great, but Ashcroft's constructs are too visceral not be considered wondrous and winning. The album doesn't stray too far from Urban Hymns territory, yet considering how wonderful that record is, why would anyone want it to? It's the stirring debut we expected, with a cherry on top.

If you like Richard Ashcroft, check out:
The Verve A Storm In Heaven
The Verve A Northern Soul
The Verve No Come Down
The Verve Urban Hymns
Oasis Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants
The Stone Roses Second Coming
Tom Petty Wildflowers
Bob Dylan Time Out Of Mind
Beth Orton Central Reservation

-- Pierre Stefanos