Richard Ashcroft
Natural Rebel

By now we had grown accustomed to the long waits, Mad Richard, especially throughout his almost two-decade solo career.

Six years between the complete failure of the "United Nations Of Sound" project and the last (decent) "These People," while a good ten years passed between the latter and the excellent "Keys To The World" from the now distant 2006, when it comes to solo works. It is therefore surprising that the new, fifth album from the former Verve frontman arrives "only" two years after the major comeback; even more surprising is that it stands as one of his best solo works ever.

And to say that good Richard had warned us: "I am motivated to release these songs because I am enthusiastic about them." Such declarations usually attract little attention, especially since they are common among practically all artists with fresh material coming out: this time, however, he was right. The new "Natural Rebel" is an excellent album, a genuinely "urgent" record (as one would have said some years ago); Ashcroft frees himself from the production frills that had weighed down his recent works, thanks to new producers Jon Kelly (Kate Bush, Prefab Sprout) and Emre Ramazanoglu, and soars thanks to renewed enthusiasm and a revitalized creative vein.

Enthusiasm that oozes from every single note of "Natural Rebel," especially in the initial part, where Ashcroft unravels one inspired, tastefully arranged piece after another: the Tom Petty flavor of "All My Dreams," the strings finally not intrusive but functional to the soundscape dominated by the pedal steel of the splendid "Birds Fly," the joyful and pleasant single "Surprised By The Joy."

From then on, it returns to a territory closer to the glorious past of the British artist, who effortlessly skips from the Stones-esque soul of the second single "Born To Be Strangers" to the Verve zone of "Urban Hymns" with the lethal "That's When I Feel It."
The ballads, the house specialty, haven't been this inspired in years: "That's How Strong" and "We All Bleed" take your breath away, "Streets Of Amsterdam" shines thanks to perfect arrangement and a truly compelling vocal performance by Ashcroft. "A Man in Motion" revisits purely Verve territory, more or less on par with "Sonnet."

At the end comes the furious "Money Money," a straight-up rock à la "Gimme Shelter" that closes beautifully and certifies the stunning, rediscovered inspiration of the ex-Verve member. Finally, an album worthy of the interpretative abilities of one of the best British frontmen of the last twenty-five years.

Best track: Money Money