Rocktrospectiva: The Pastoral "Keys To The World" Turns 20

Released on 23 January 2006 "Keys To The World" was the third studio album by English singer-songwriter Richard Ashcroft.  The album spawned four singles "Break The Night With Colour", "Music Is Power", "Words Just Get In The Way"& "Why Not Nothing".  

After a lengthy hiatus, Ashcroft returned with his third album. The album contained songs written over six years showcasing Ashcroft's sneeringly cocksure voice in fine, mature form. He was undoubtedly right in his assumption that he was the template for swaggering Northern vocalists. Yet the anthemic quality of many of the tracks left the listener thinking about of another northern testosterone-filled crooner.

The tracks "Sweet Brother Malcolm" and "World Keeps Turning" hint at depth, but it's too cliché-ridden to attain classic status. Then it was the Verve-lite and merely the best track on the set, "Music Is Power", which was built around a Curtis Mayfield sample) - it's full of sound and fury, but not really saying much.

Ashcroft first two solo records were nice but weren't at the peak the artist wanted to delivered back them, so again with this new album, the artist dared to again with a huge amount and variety of arrangements to gave every track a precise touch focus on classic tunes. The album opened with "Why Not Nothing" a relaxed rock piece that led to the fantastic "Music Is Power" next was "Words Just Get In The Way" introducing the listerner with certain wind and strings arrangementes to create one of the finest melodies of the set, "Break The Night With Color" was the first single and again an uplifting tune with certain usual elements used in the past two albumes.

The second part of the album is less enthusiast "Simple Song", "Cry 'Til The Morning" & "Sweet Brother Malcolm" are fine but in the depth you felt you're listening to an album by Simon & Garfunkel, "Why Do Lovers?" sounded like an nice ballad, and then "World Keeps Turning" and the bonus track "75 Degrees" the first with a certain optimistic and shimmering vibes while the second more experimental never found its way. 

The album was a decent and lucid work by Ashcroft, a good one for the die hard fans but in the end it was just another filler record with some nice tracks, this was like the proof that the brilliant Ashcroft one of the most relevant artists in the 90's has nothing more to offer even thought others considered the record as his best solo effort with puncjy melodies and insightful lyrics, strong vocals and a presence that proved the artist was finally hit the stride. 

 

Keys To The World Track List:

 

1. Why Not Nothing?

2. Music Is Power

3. Break The Night With Colour

4. Words Just Get In The Way

5. Keys To The World

6. Sweet Brother Malcolm

7. Cry Til The Morning

8. Why Do Lovers?

9. Simple Song

10. World Keeps Turning

Somebody Has To Shoot The Pictures: Oasis '25 Cardiff Night One

 

1. Liam and Noel

2. Oasis

3. Noel Gallagher

4. This is biblical

5.  Richard Ashcroft

6. The Verve 

 

Photos: Oasis official.

Rocktrospectiva: The Soulful And Beautiful "Alone With Everybody" Turns 25

Released on 26 June 2000 "Alone With Everybody" was the first solo album by English singer-songwriter Richard Ashcroft, released via Hut Records. The album spawned three singles "A Song For The Lovers", "Money To Burn" & "C'mon People".

 

The songs "A Song for the Lovers", "C'mon People (We're Making It Now)" and "New York" were initially recorded with the Verve for their 1997 album Urban Hymns, but were never released. The album sound is considered a good collection of soulful songs, it's heavy music, it's beautiful music, back in the day and according to Ashcroft: I’ve got my silly name on the front of the sleeve. Everything’s a first. So as a first solo album, I think it’s an achievement."

 

Alone with Everybody functioned as a creative rebirth for the rejuvenated Ashcroft, and offered proof positive that he had endured the band’s disintegration no worse for wear from a songwriting standpoint. Anyone expecting More Urban Hymns would have been sorely disappointed, as the absence of Nick McCabe’s distinctive, sprawling guitar work could never be replicated, and any attempt to catch that same lightning in a bottle would have bordered on hubris. So what Ashcroft did furnish, however, was an excellent set of thirteen inspired, ruminative songs that reinforced his vitality as a songwriter and introduced a more varied sonic palette that balanced some of the more grandiose, symphonic elements heard on his former band’s records "A Song for the Lovers," "Crazy World" with warmer, more country-tinged fare "I Get My Beat," "You On My Mind In My Sleep," "Money to Burn".

 

The critical response to Alone with Everybody was generally positive, stating that the album was Ashcroft's newly discovered stability has done nothing to blunt his powers of communication or reduce his belief in the apocalyptic potential of music.

 

Alone With Everybody Track List: 

 

1. A Song For The Lovers

2. I Get My Beat

3. Brave New World

4. New York

5. You On My Mind In My Sleep

6. Crazy World

7. On A Beach

8. Money To Burn

9. Slow Was My Heart

10. C'Mon People (We're Making It Now) 

11. Everybody 

New Music: Lover

           

Richard Ashcroft shares his first new song in seven years "Lover" it was co-produced it with Emre Ramazanoglu and incorporates elements of Joan Armatrading's song "Love And Affection" an Ashcroft favourite one.

Primicia: That's When I Feel It

         

Se trata de "That's When I Fell It" el nuevo corte que se extrae de "Natural Rebel" el último álbum de Richard Ashcroft con un video simple dirigido por el mismo artista apareciendo en diferentes escenarios siempre con la guitarra en mano con un sonido rock lleno de reminiscencias sesenteras sin dejar por un lado su vibra britpop.

Primicia: Born To Be Strangers

         

Richard Ashcroft nos presenta el video oficial del single "Born To Be Strangers" que ya había sonado con anterioridad hace un mes exactamente y que nos jabía dejado un buen sabor de boca ahora con Ashcroft como director apareciendo como un magnate en traje morado y zapatillas deportivas en un garage junto a un hermoso Ferrari rojo y escenas psicodelicas para darle ambiente a este buen tema con sonido setentero y pinceladas ochenteras y noventeras. 

Primicia: Surprised By The Joy

         

El célebre Richard Ashcroft vuelve con nuevo tema "Surprised By The Joy" primer corte que se extrae de los que sera su nuevo disco "Natural Rebel" con un sonido bastante clásico apoyado mucho en los 70's con buena mezcla de brit pop de los 90's acompañado de este placentero video dirígido por el propio Ashcroft en donde aparece viajando por vairas parajes hasta terminar en la playa.

Primicia: These People

         

Richard Ashcroft presenta su nuevo single "These People" extraído de su magnífico álbum hómonimo, se trata de un hermosa balada que por momentos me recuerda a "Luck Man" con Ashcroft tocando con la guitarra a lo largo de varios parajes londinenses.

Primicia: They Don't Own Me

         

El ya clásico Richard Ashcroft vuelve a escena con el tercer single que se extrae de su nuevo disco "These People" cuyo video vuelve a ser dirigido por el mismo en unas bellas y relajadas escenas a bordo de una hermosa Triumph y recorriendo un apacible bosque al ritmo de la canción.

Primicia: This Is How It Feels

         

Richard Ashcroft se estrena como director y estrena el video de su single "This Is How It Feels" primer corte que se extrae del nuevo disco de Ashcroft "These People" marcado por los acontecimientos que han afectado al mundo en los últimos meses, el disco sale a la venta el 20 de mayo.

La Noticia: Richard Ashcroft Vuelve Con Nuevo Disco Y Gira

El famoso cantante británico ex-The Verve, Richard Ashcroft, vuelve con un nuevo look, nuevo disco, nuevo single y el anuncio de algunos shows. El vocalista regresó a la escena esta semana con el lanzamiento de su nuevo single "This Is How It Feels" y anuncío que tocará dos shows: uno en el Albert Hall de Manchester y el otro en el Roundhouse de Londres en mayo:

Manchester, Albert Hall (Mayo 14)
London, Roundhouse (Mayo 16)

De igual manera anuncío el lanzamiento de "These People" su nuevo disco el próximo 20 de mayo, siendo el primero desde "United Nations Of Sound" del 2010, este disco fue grabado en su totalidad en su estudio privado y contiene las orquestraciones a cargo de Wil Malone, quién trabajo con Ashcroft en el disco de The Verve "Northern Soul" y el hiper famoso "Urban Hymns" y por supuesto en su disco del 2000, "Alone With Everybody". El disco trata sobre la problematica de la guerra en Siria, la primavera arabe, la muerte de un amigo cercano, y cosas por el estilo, el artista dice que estuvo experimentnado con viejos y nuevos equipos tratando de crear texturas y sonidos que acompañar un arte antiguo, que el llamado una especie de trovador moderno.

Durante el tiempo que el (Ashcroft) compuso el disco, muchas cosas interesantes pasaron en el mundo, desde guerrar, movimientos rebeldes, semi revoluciones, reclamos de cualquier indole, gente protestando y siendo reprimida, estamos sin duda en una era muy nihilista, en donde los temores una nueva guerra mundial son más latentes, por lo tanto he querido reflexionar al respecto y reflejarlo en la sociedad, y a la vez tener la posibilidad que este proyecto de un sentido de esperanza.

El tracklist de These People es el siguiente:

1. 'Out Of My Body'
2. 'This Is How It Feels'
3. 'They Don’t Own Me'
4. 'Hold On'
5. 'These People'
6. 'Everybody Needs Somebody To Hurt'
7. 'Pictures Of You'
8. 'Black Lines'
9. 'Ain’t The Future So Bright'
10. 'Songs Of Experience'

Escuchadas Divinas: This Is How It Feels

        

Richard Ashcroft esta de vuelta tras una pausa de 6 años con este su nuevo single "This Is How It Feels" que se desprende de lo que será su nuevo single "These People" que estará disponible el próximo 20 de mayo.