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Manufacturer: Parlophone/EMI Artist: Richard Ashcroft
Average Customer Rating:
Binding: Audio CD EAN: 0094635452020 Format: Enhanced Label: Parlophone/EMI Manufacturer: Parlophone/EMI Number Of Discs: 1 Publisher: Parlophone/EMI Release Date: 2006-01-23 Studio: Parlophone/EMI
The Verve fought their way to the top of the Britpop pile with a series of triumphant, world-beating anthems, but since their dissolution, frontman Richard Ashcroft’s muse has led him further into introspective, acoustic territory. Quite heartening, then, that his third album kicks off with a mighty burst of brass, an ecstatic Motown rhythm and in "Why Not Nothing?", one of his most bullish, headstrong lyrics in recent memory.
Ashcroft’s new emphasis on classic-tinged soulfulness--a nice change from his occasional, unfortunate tendency towards lumpen Britpop blokeiness--permeates Keys To The World, a factor that sets it on a par with the likes of Weller’s 2000 album Heliocentric in the return-to-form stakes. There are two real highlights though: the swooning "Words Just Get In The Way" should see some manly tears shed, an older, wiser uncle of Coldplay’s "Fix You" that offers a shoulder to cry on over a noble flourish of violins, while "World Keeps Turning" ends the album on a proud note, Ashcroft declaring "Everythin’ right in my life again" as the album gallops to a close.--Louis Pattison
Spotlight customer reviews:
Customer Rating: Summary: An enjoyable listen but not a classic Comment: Keys to the world is a good, solid album but is certainly not on the same scale as The Verve's 'Urban hymns'
I think the album has 5 very good songs (why not nothing, break the night, keys to the world, cry til the morning and why do lovers) and I feel that if all the songs were at this quality then this album would be great, but the other 5 are a bit boring, though not poor songs, they just don't do much for me
so a solid effort by Richard Ashcroft but he still seems to be lacking something since his Verve days Customer Rating: Summary: A well produced album. Comment: I'm standing up for Ritchie Ashcroft on this one, this is a good album. If you were expecting the Verve then of course you'll be disappointed, but this is a fresh direction and you can hear it in the music. There's more than a few really good songs on this album and the filler isn't bad either.
I predict that Richard Ashcroft's solo work will be rediscovered in years to come. Customer Rating: Summary: Yawnarama Comment: Break The Night With Colour is a fantastic piece of work which leaves everything else on this CD trailing in its wake. Ashcroft's affected vocal style is a further nuisance. Can just about face listening to Cry Til The Morning and World Keeps Turning again, but the rest would be better moulded into an ashtray. Recommendation: buy the single. Customer Rating: Summary: Very pleasant surprise Comment: I bought about 30 CD's from Heathrow a couple of months ago as I live outside the UK and always pick up a pile of the latest crops of talked about stuff. I picked up this Ashcroft title on the back of his Verve connection and the hype printed on the CD cover. Of the the 30 or so CD's, this is this the best. Very tuneful and catchy on the one hand. Very soulful and moody on the other. Great Rock music, Brit style. Enjoy, and don't take it all so seriously. J Customer Rating: Summary: Peggy does Dylan Comment: I saw Verve in 1995. I can think of no finer band to emerge from these shores in the history of time; plenty that matched - but none that surpassed. They were so good in the 35 minutes or so they were allowed to play in a small tent at the Phoenix festival, that I almost cacked myself with joy. Saw them again in 1999ish - just after Mr McCabe left - and the reason for the split was laid bare for all to see - Richard Ashcroft. A man who, post Northern Songs, has often been frustrating, sometimes deep, incredibly pretentious, occasionally moving, delusionally egotistic and frequently very very bare. Richard had stars in his eyes that night - and was so up himself that I had to leave too. I wasn't happy about this but so it goes. The last time I saw Richard.
Since then, Peggy's solo career has been patchy - a promising first album - though un-cohesive, was followed by a widely panned underachiever in Human Conditions - an album that in reality is truly excellent - trust me - buy it - before it suffers the ignominy of being given away free with the Mail on Sunday. It's only sold about a 143 copies or something.
Now though, Chris Martin has spoken, so all must be good; but in reality, touting our Peggy as the finest vocalist in the UK at the moment is actually quite demeaning to even Chris Martin - who sings mainly crap these days, but at least sings it very well indeed. So the celeb-mad British public has the ultimate insider tip and thus receives the pretentiously named Keys to World with reverence and the bleatings of baby sheep.
Unfortunately, having listened to this for a couple of weeks, I can't help feeling that either the keys got lost or the world has gone astray, for this is a lost soul of an album, brimming with unoriginality, banal American drawl, weedy strings and, for some inexplicable reason, a constant desire to sing like the Dylanesque sexagenarian, Bob Dylan. If you like Dicky's exquisitely manufactured new vocal style, then any of Dylan's last three albums will blow you to smithereens. And there I was, forcing myself to listen more intently, trying to fathom out if I was missing something when suddenly I thought that Cry Til The Morning sounded just a little too much like All along the Watchtower, I realised that I was. Wasn't that vocal a little on the Tom Petty side? Wouldn't the track Keys To The World have been fantastic if Roy Orbison had sung it? (it bloody well would have too). Didn't that slide guitar sound like George Harrison? Am I listening to the Travelling Wilburys and more to the point, wouldn't I be far more satisfied if I was? Certainly the answer to most of these questions is, was and should have been 'yes'.
Dear Peggy, please understand something: you are a top-goal-scorer for it from Wigan, not a craggy jowled rock icon from Troubadourville, Illinois. Your voice isn't actually yours at the moment and these songs are pap. Most could be performed better by Ronan Keating or Chris Rea. They present the listener with the keys to Peggy's dad's garden shed. Ladies and gentleman, tonight Richard Ashcroft will be a pale imitation of the man who gave us Sun the Sea, Slide Away and So it Goes. And so it goes. This is a tragedy.
Richard, It's been about six long years and it's time to take stock by spending a few moments with yourself. Crank up your best stereo in a big bare room and listen to those three tracks just mentioned. You are the best vocalist in the UK. You are a genius. Cack your pants with joy. Then, get your feet back on the ground but leave your head in the clouds. You can do it son, c'mon.
Inevitably and somewhat sadly, this album will fall into the clutch-at-anything, Coldplay-ing hands of Radio Schmooze listeners and they will of course feel that they're living on the edge as this drivel warbles out through their Megane Scenic woofers. So it Goes.
