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Rating: Anyone hoping that the latest album from the former leader of the Verve is finally the one for his solo consecration will be disappointed. This should be the main idea to have before listening to this album, especially if you expect to hear a "Verve"-like record.
"Keys To The World" is an amalgam of melancholic songs, where most of the lyrics are set on denouncing various social injustices present in the world. The album starts with "Why Not Nothing?", the only rock song present, where you can hear some guitar riffing, that nevertheless does not give energy or make you want to listen to it again in the future. The second song is "Music Is Power" (the second single) which really disheartens the listener; this track has neither head nor tail and tries somehow to resemble (though distantly) "Bitter Sweet Symphony" from "Urban Hymns" (1997) due to their structure.
Finally, we arrive at the single par excellence "Break The Night With Colour", perfectly constructed in every detail, the melody is one of those that immediately sticks in the mind thanks to the extraordinary voice of Mr. Ashcroft, full of anguish and warmth at the same time. The songs that follow are structured all in the same way: piano and voice with a few rare drum rolls. Apart from the first single "Break The Night With Colour", the beautiful "Keys To The World" also stands out, the only track where you feel a hint of anger from Richard's deep voice that urges changing the world in all possible ways, especially by musicians, like him, who have the opportunity to be heard worldwide thanks to their work.
To conclude, "Keys To The World" is the exact photocopy of what was heard in his previous works: "Human Condition" (2002) and "Alone With Everybody" (2000), with too many melancholic songs musically all too similar, where nothing innovative is ever risked, but where exceptional singles are always present, which no one nowadays is able to craft. Perhaps in the future, it would be better for Ashcroft to get influenced by some new musical current to start varying a bit the menu of the next work... Talent never blossomed.
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 Adil
Ashcroft’s unwavering faith in the salvific power of music leads him to affirm, in a track inspired by Curtis Mayfield, that if 'the melody is timeless, it will never abandon you.'
The video of 'Break The Night With Colour' shows an uneasy Richard Ashcroft at the piano behind prison bars, a simple but powerful image of struggle.
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.
