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Elly Roberts reviews
FDM Records
- Cat.no: FDMNIZ002
- Released: January 2006
- Rating: 6/10
Shaking off past glories and believing recent self-hype have become a major problem for Richard Ashcroft.;
Since leaving his role as leader of Manchesteroutfit The Verve, Ashcroft has tried to establish himself as a bona fidesolo artist. It’s been a rocky ride. During the past five years, he’s hadreasonable singles success, a number one and number three album in the UKcharts.
Keys To The World‘s ten songs once again comes with varying degreesof success. For some inexplicable reason he just falls short of hitting thebullseye. Undoubtedly the album’s taster single, Break The Night WithColour, is quite magnificent and will become a concert anthem, though aftertwo weeks in the chart (w/c 23rd Jan) it dropped from 3 to 9. On the evidenceof the single, it will arouse curiosity from die-hard fans and beyond, but Ifear that’s where it will all end, with the album plummeting quite quickly.
So what’s on offer with the remaining nine songs?Over the years, Ashcroft has had a propensity for doom and gloom.It comes as no surprise that the over all feel is tinged with whinge.
Opening with a rockier edge than usual, rip-roaring Why Not Nothing soonmelts away, into familiar mellow territory – Music Is Power, full of lushstrings and sublime wiry guitar ghosting in the background as he firmlybelieves the lyrical intention. Plaintive ‘Words’ is a classy rambler whichcontains some impressive male backing vocals, segued by even more impressivechick backups on ‘Keys’, not quite turning into the epic is should havebeen. It lacks that killer punch.
Wailing guitars feature heavily on Wait Til The Morning, however,it lays to bed Chris Martin’s claim Ashcroft being“the greatest singer in the world”. Sweet Brother Malcolm is totallydestroyed by undisciplined singing: yet another golden opportunity missed.Just saving the song are some wonderfully understated melodies.
Gentle guitar and piano musings, and a bad vocal, turn Why Do Lovers into ananti-climax, which is a shame: this could have been the album’s high point.
Bringing it to a close, we’re given sweeping strings, a regular beat andimpassioned vocals, rounding off a solid album.
It’s not a classic. One day Ashcroft might pull it off.
Right now, he doesn’t have the keys to the world domination he might aspire to.
Weblink:Richard Ashcroft.com
The full list of tracks included are :
1. Why Not Nothing
2. Music 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
Elly Roberts passed away in 2011, but he was a man who was so passionate about all types of music and loved meeting his musical heroes, such as Mick Hucknall at a book signing at the Trafford Centre, Manchester in 2007.
A former teacher and also a music journalist, DJ and radio presenter on local community station Calon FM, plus appearances on BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Radio 2, Elly started doing reviews for DVDfever.co.uk in 2004 and he did the majority of the CD and concerts reviews on the website.
I know also that he loved getting away for the summer to Spain and I hope that wherever he is now he is enjoying the hot sunshine and, as one of his friends has said on his Facebook page, that he is interviewing his musical heroes.