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The video of "Break The Night With Colour," the first single from the third solo album by the former leader of the Verve, shows an uneasy Richard Ashcroft at the piano behind prison bars. It is this simple but powerful image that Ashcroft uses to describe that kind of struggle (sometimes internal, but not only, as political overtones are not missing in "Keys To The World") that every person must face to achieve what they believe in.
The entire album is driven by the author's awareness of "being able to radically change a person's life with a melody.” Ashcroft's unwavering faith in the salvific power of music leads him to affirm, in a track inspired by Curtis Mayfield ("Music Is Power"), that if "the melody is timeless, it will never abandon you.” However, there are also bitter reflections on disillusionment ("Why Not Nothing?") and the sense of loss that success can sometimes bring ("Keys To The World").
Harpsichords, strings, and saxophones give life to a kaleidoscopic work in its continuous explosion of musical colors; the lanky and charismatic Ashcroft moves today more confidently than ever across the most disparate genres, and as a reward for the faith placed in him, he delivers an album that is more stripped-down and direct compared to his previous solo works. The impression one gets from carefully listening to the ten tracks of "Keys To The World" is that the author, mistakenly regarded by many until a few years ago as "only" the former leader of one of the most important English bands of the nineties, is now ready to rightfully enter the pantheon of great songwriters in English popular music.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
04 Words Just Get in the Way (05:00)
When you've given all you've got
and you're feeling overcome
when you're backs against the wall
there's noone left to call, call me
when you're head is so full
and you feel misunderstood
and the fear is coming fast
you think you're time has past
you say why me, why me?
if you want it
you know i've got it
words they just get in the way
if you want it
oh yeah I've got it
words they just get in the way
words they just get in the way
in the way
when you're feeling like you've lost
when all you're hope is gone
and the bridge above the river
is only the beginning of your fall (great lyric!)
if you want it
oh yeah I've got it
words they just get in the way
if you want it
oh yeah I've got it
words they just get in the way
words they just get in the way
Sing it too me now
all my life in the way
ABC all the way (i think)
since I was a child
words they drive me wild
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Other reviews
By Vivio
Anyone hoping that the latest album from the former leader of the Verve is finally the one for his solo consecration will be disappointed.
The single 'Break The Night With Colour' is perfectly constructed and immediately sticks in the mind thanks to Ashcroft's extraordinary voice.
By GrantNicholas
The album is more "accessible" to the general public than its predecessors, thanks to good pop tracks like the aforementioned first single.
What might be missing, however, is the desire to delve into the human soul that permeated the early works of the Albion songwriter.
