Richard Ashcroft: Alone With Everybody
Reviewed by: Bonnie Russell
Former Verve lead singer Richard Ashcroft is at his best when he�s a bit melancholy, but he�s not too bad when he�s happy either. On �Alone With Everybody�, his solo debut, Ashcroft takes what was the �signature Verve sound� (sweeping melodies, strings, and the sadness that seems to fill every lyric of even the happiest songs), and makes it his own. Any of the songs on the record - most notably the string-filled �I Get My Beat� and the psychedelic �New York� -- could have been taken straight from the Verve�s last release, but Ashcroft manages to transcend his former band, and create a strong debut filled with the promise of things to come.
Full of stories about love and an emphasis on the spiritual side of life, �Alone With Everybody� is a love letter of sorts to Ashcroft�s wife, Spiritualized�s Kate Radley. Despite its melancholy musical undertones, there�s a lot of happiness filling these songs and a sense of hope for the future. The upbeat �Money to Burn� is sillier than we�ve seen Ashcroft in the past: �I�ve got money to burn, I wanna burn it on you - we�ve got one short life, and I wanna spend it with you�. Lyrically, this might be Ashcroft�s most personal set of songs, touching on both the joy and pain of his own emotional and spiritual journeys.
Throughout �Alone With Everybody�, the listener gets the sense of the songwriter�s most intimate thoughts, and a sense of the man behind the music. This record will please both Verve fans and those who have never heard Richard Ashcroft�s music before. It is a strong debut from a gifted singer/songwriter.
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