Tall and gangly, with shaggy hair topping his scrawny frame, erstwhile Verve vocalist Richard Ashcroft sounds more solid, gritty and weary of life than one might expect. He’s been quiet for some time, probably licking his wounds after the failure of his second solo album, Human Conditions (though he did appear on stage with Coldplay at last year’s Live 8 concert in London to perform The Verve’s Bittersweet Symphony, where Chris Martin introduced him as ‘the best singer in the world”).
Now Ashcroft returns with Keys to the World (EMI), which is simply not a happy album. His unassuming performance is more morose than that of the Gallagher brothers, but also more sincere than David Gray, which is no mean feat. Opening track Why Not Nothing? is glib British rock and one hopes for more of the same but, from track two, the lackadaisical Music is Power, the mood darkens with each song.
The slowest tracks — such as the soul-baring Words Just Get in the Way; Cry Til the Morning, on which Ashcroft appears simply distraught; and the countryish Sweet Brother Malcolm (who is under house arrest and the talk of the town, not to mention sweet cousin Mary) — lay it on too thick. Here and there Ashcroft even sounds (unintentionally, one must hope) a little bit like Jon Bon Jovi on weepy hits of the past like Bed of Roses.
Nevertheless, the songs are well constructed, although Ashcroft could do with less anguish and more verve. The beautiful string melody on Why Do Lovers?, the likeable World Keeps Turning, the sensitive textures of the single Break the Night with Colour … all these elements and more make Keys to the World a reasonably appealing album. It’s ultimately not that much different in tone from Human Conditions, but it is certainly more captivating and should fare better.
More Reviews
Andy Bell
Electric Blue (Sony BMG)
Best known as half of Erasure, Bell seems unable to shake his past. He’s stuck in synth-pop hell, even when it turns out reasonably catchy, like on single Crazy, or when duetting with the Scissor Sisters’ Jake Shears on I Thought It Was You. Where the lyrics show more emotion (infatuation on Caught in a Spin — ‘You’re such a sweet boy/My fascination” — and love gone wrong on Delicious), they lift the songs above the rest and there will surely be some lively remixes in the works. But, overall, this album is more blue than electric. — Riaan Wolmarans
Hilary Duff
Most Wanted (EMI)
A best-of album of sorts (an ‘ultimate collection”, Duff calls it) spanning her career of all of three years. New single Wake Up is cutesy, upbeat pop (and among a handful of songs here co-written by Duff), but the cookie-cutter fodder of The Getaway, a remix of Metamorphosis and Break My Heart is debilitating, not to mention the cheesy dance rhythms of Beat of My Heart. A Chris Cox mix (he also helped Kelly Osbourne out with a lively hit version of One Word) injects some energy into 2004’s Come Clean. — Riaan Wolmarans
The Rasmus
Hide from the Sun (Universal)
Much was expected from this Helsinki outfit after their mega-hit In the Shadows, but they have not quite risen to the challenge. Lead vocalist Lauri Ylönen’s appealing voice, slightly accented, sounds wasted on a set of orthodox pop-rock creations that rarely move beyond adequate. The lyrics couldn’t possibly be more simplistic (and rather melodramatic on Lucifer’s Angel and Immortal) and their chorus-centric songs don’t have enough of a hook to be remarkable. Apocalyptica guest-star with cello arrangements on the somewhat more intriguing Dead Promises. One can only hope The Rasmus will be more thrilling on stage when they perform in South Africa in March at the 5fm Coca-Cola Colab concerts. — Riaan Wolmarans