I think I’ve always held a pretty set idea of what a Richard Ashcroft album sounds like, so Lovin’ You definitely opened my eyes to how diverse he is as an artist. From the pop-inspired Lover to the dance vibes of I’m a Rebel and the rock edge of Heavy News, there was a much wider variety of genres than I expected.
An aside on this for a second though, this is the second album I’ve listened to recently where the opener has little bearing on the rest of the album (the other was Geese’s Getting Killed where industrialised opening track Trinidad is a jarring contrast to the remainder of the record). Is this some new TikTok trend I missed? Lover resembles little else on Lovin You, and that stark change in tone does make it a struggle to engage and connect with the rest of the album on the first listen. I’m all for stepping outside your proverbial music box, but that first track should be a little taste of what’s to come, so maybe tuck those more experimental tracks away for later in the record. I’m not sure if this is speaking to the further erosion of putting albums together as cohesive stories or collections, which seemed to rapidly disappear once Spotify entered the chat, but whatever it is I’m really not a fan.
Anyway, despite this, there are still many typical Ashcroft numbers on this album; those mellow, melancholic type of tracks that you wanna absorb with a whisky on the rocks. Oh L’amour is a favourite of mine, but you can also hear this style on Fly to the Sun, a simple acoustic track which really puts Ashcroft’s distinctive voice centre stage. For those familiar with his work it is the closest you’re getting to an Ashcroft classic.
The album ultimately left me with positive feelings. I like that he’s working on new music. I like that it’s more diverse. I think he’s made the important realisation that his voice isn’t what it was in his Bitter Sweet Symphony heyday and he’s working with that to weave more layers into many of the tracks with the knowledge that the vocals alone can’t quite fill that space enough anymore – certainly not for an entire album anyway.
In a year of strong resurgences from many bands of this era (Pulp, Suede, Oasis to name a few), Ashcroft’s latest work isn’t going to break the mould in quite the same way but it’s nonetheless an enjoyable showcase of his song writing talents.