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Rating: We had left him at the end of 2008 walking alone in a forest in the video of "Rather Be", the last single of The Verve and a tangible sign that the third breakup of the band was near. In the following months, Richard Ashcroft, perhaps the greatest talent that British music has produced in the last twenty years, even considered retiring. But he didn't do it; on the contrary, he returned to the scene in a surprising way. After releasing "The Journey", a single for the Helen Bamber Foundation charity, Ashcroft came into contact with Chicago hip-hop producer NO I.D., famous for working with artists like Jay-Z, Common, Alicia Keys, Usher, and Kanye West, and assembled a new group, RPA & The United Nations of Sound (where RPA stands for Richard Paul Ashcroft). This group also includes guitarist Steve Wyreman (already with Mary J Blige), bassist Dwayne ‘DW’ Wright, and drummer brother Derrick Wright, all young talented American guys.
"United Nations of Sound" is the result of this new ambitious project. Recorded between Los Angeles, New York, and London, the album is enhanced by the presence of Motown legend and Grammy Award winner Reggie Dozer (Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Outkast) as sound engineer, and by Benjamin Wright (Off the Wall by Michael Jackson) for the string arrangement, dear to Richard since the time of "History" and "Bitter Sweet Symphony". The album, as per Ashcroft's desire, is a mixture of genres: from pop to rock, from R&B to hip-hop, from blues to soul. A tip, forget his solo career for a moment and especially his production with The Verve. If you're expecting something similar, you'll surely be disappointed. This album is an admirable attempt to turn the page, to change direction, to prove to everyone, if there was still a need, that Ashcroft can create high-quality music even without the frenemy McCabe, Jones, and Salisbury. The sound is different, very ‘metropolitan’, but the class of the 38-year-old from Wigan is always the same. Religion, life, and love are undoubtedly the main themes of the album, whose working title was not by chance "Redemption".
The opening is entrusted to the powerful "Are You Ready?", released in January for English radios to introduce the new band and for which a video was also shot. After a substantial orchestral introduction, Ashcroft attacks with his usual grit and a voice that seems to improve over time. The song progresses pleasantly and linearly, exploiting a sample of "On Time" by the Bee Gees (1972) to end with a remarkable guitar solo by Wyreman. In the lyrics, Ashcroft does not speak, as one might easily think, of a return of Jesus to Earth or such things; instead, he asks if humanity is ready for something beyond its imagination, beyond limiting definitions. Something truly new that can make us take a step forward.
Immediately after, we find "Born Again", the first real single, in which Richard's voice perfectly blends with the harmonies created by Benjamin Wright and the always consistent guitar of Wyreman. The title refers to the Christian way of suggesting that it is right to try to ‘be born again’ every day, meaning getting out of difficulties, depression, the mess of life. A pleasant and optimistic piece that would have carried the album very well if only it had been promoted properly. Richard, however, is tired of the spotlight and charts; these things interest him less and less. His choice should be respected; better to enjoy his quality music without thinking about anything else.
The third song is "America", undoubtedly the most ‘artificial’ of the whole album. The working methodology of NO I.D. is manifest in this piece, in which Ashcroft does not rely on a drummer in the traditional sense but on the beats created by the Chicago producer. The result is an ‘urban’ sound, also heavy, where loops and rhythms merge perfectly. The ending, with a Morricone-style whistle that evokes spaghetti westerns, is exhilarating.
The album continues with "This Thing Called Life". What will probably be the second single from the album is certainly one of the best creations of the ‘new’ Ashcroft. The piece is developed on an R&B background on which the singer even ventures into rap. And with good results. Here too, drummer Derrick Wright must step aside to make way for NO I.D.'s crafted percussion. The chorus, already dear to fans, instantly sticks in your head while also providing a good dose of emotion.
The fifth track is the energetic "Beatitudes". For many Richard fans, this song was a bit jarring, perhaps because it's the furthest from his usual style. The pace is pressing, and the beats advance quickly and aggressively in the background. Ashcroft's voice, accompanied as in some parts of "Born Again" and "This Thing Called Life" by backing vocalist Kaye Fox, proves to be more exceptional and unmistakable, a rare commodity these days.
We thus reach the midpoint of the album: "Good Lovin’". Mixed by the trusty Chris Potter, his historic producer since the masterpiece "Urban Hymns", the sixth song is a melodic and melancholic ballad embellished by the splendid strings arranged by Benjamin Wright and recorded by Reggie Dozer. Truly convincing.
The second part of "United Nations of Sound" opens with "How Deep Is Your Man?", a blues in pure Sixties style that pays homage to and reprises the historic "Boom Boom" by John Lee Hooker (1961) and once again shows the vast musical culture of the English songwriter. According to Ashcroft, the song's lyrics draw inspiration from the creation story of this album and progress like a short film, with the singer imagining himself full of problems in New York and being saved by meeting NO I.D. A meeting that changed him, a sort of ‘personal redemption’.
The eighth track is the enchanting ballad "She Brings Me the Music", dedicated to his wife Kate. The song starts with a sweet piano accompanied by Richard's acoustic guitar, proceeds with sweet strings in the background that accompany a very sweet text, and ends crescendo with the singer's cry of love. We must admit, Ashcroft can experiment as much as he wants, achieving excellent results, as in this album, but when he returns to his natural niche giving us poems in full style "On Your Own" and "Sonnet", the chills down the spine at least double. Every man should dedicate this song to his woman at least once in their life. Goosebumps.
Immediately after, we find "Royal Highness", perhaps the most radio-friendly and catchy piece of the entire album. A fresh rock song in which, once again, Ashcroft's rough voice and the flair of guitarist Steve Wyreman are highlighted. In the lyrics, RPA celebrates the charm of being engaged in the recording studio at three in the morning making music while all around him the city still sleeps. Do you know those American movies where a shiny convertible races down a vast highway with the stereo blaring? Well, this would be the ideal scenario to fully enjoy this song.
The tenth track is "Glory", just over three minutes long but truly enjoyable. The song begins with an acoustic guitar that gradually merges with an electric one and with the usual delightful strings of Benjamin Wright. Here too Ashcroft is supported by backing vocalist Kaye Fox and the peculiarity of the piece is that there are no percussion instruments understood as drums, only continuous clapping in the background.
Number eleven is "Life Can Be So Beautiful", a curious mix of sounds on which Richard overlays his falsetto voice. The main chord is taken from "The Schoolboy" by David Axelrod (1969), a famous Los Angeles composer with whom Ashcroft had already collaborated in 2004. The only criticism that can be made of this song is that it doesn't seem to lead anywhere: perhaps it's true, but it certainly gives us five minutes of harmony and relaxation. Just as the lyrics state, with his music, Richard can take us anywhere.
The last song of the album is the wonderful "Let My Soul Rest". This track really lacks nothing; all the various components balance perfectly in a continuous seesaw of emotions. It may sound rhetorical, but listening to these notes truly feels like touching the sky with a finger. The strings and horns are simply perfect, Ashcroft's voice is majestic, and NO I.D.'s background work is impeccable once again (as is the mixing, entrusted here to Chris Potter as well). It's worth the album's price alone.
The classic tracklisting is finished, but a few words deserve to be spent on the bonus tracks. Those who know Richard Ashcroft well know that often behind this type of song or the b-sides of the singles lie small gems. Even this time, in fact, the level is high: "Captain Rock", the extra track available for iTunes, is a passionate autobiographical outburst with almost freestyle lyrics, while "Third Eye" (already released in April for members of the RPA Club and now included in the Japanese version of the album) is a true jam session in hip-hop style created by Ashcroft and Wyreman the day of their first meeting. Truly exciting.
Having listened to "United Nations of Sound" in-depth and having enjoyed almost all the songs' live versions in the concert Richard held on June 5th in Ancona, I can confidently state that we are facing an album of good quality. An album in which the entire talented collective had the humility to follow Ashcroft's directions but, at the same time, had the opportunity to improvise, bringing great energy to the Wigan singer's music. The experiments and fusion between various genres, especially thanks to NO I.D.'s work, were successful, and Ashcroft's voice remains one of the best things that international music can offer. As mentioned earlier, "United Nations of Sound" should be separated from its predecessors and judged without prejudice. The deepest connection to the past can be found in the song lyrics, where Ashcroft continues to explore every nook of human emotion, writing pieces that speak primarily of feelings: from love to loss, from despair to anger, from happiness to despondency.
The band changes, the sound changes, but Richard Ashcroft is always the same. Only now, to be noticed, he no longer needs to walk on a sidewalk bumping into everything and everyone, and it is a pity that many people, almost fifteen years after the video of "Bitter Sweet Symphony", still do not realize it and do not appreciate him for what he really is worth. But I know his worth, and I am happy to announce that Richard Ashcroft has not disappointed expectations this time either and has given us a respectable album. Long live ‘Captain Rock’!!!
Simone Minghinelli
Tracklist and Videos
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