Richard Ashcroft Creates a Diverse Offering on ‘These People’

Matt Matasci

Richard Ashcroft made his way into the music world’s consciousness as the lead singer of enigmatic alternative rock group The Verve. Along with their peers in Oasis and The Stone Roses, they are one of the quintessential examples of a band that could never quite live up to their massive amounts of potential. At the end of the day, despite releasing some great music, the band never built a large following Stateside; their only true hit in the United States was 1997’s “Bittersweet Symphony.” The single was released in between breakups and the second split lasted until ‘08, killing any momentum for a commercial breakthrough.

On his fourth proper full-length studio album, “These People,” Ashcroft does not mess around with his formula much. Adding electronic flourishes to a decidedly basic mid-tempo rock template is the blueprint for most of the tracks on the 50-minute long album. Despite the relative lack of sonic diversity, these instruments and vocal adjustments make for a record that may not blow minds but also does not bore the listener.   

Opener “Out of My Body” begins with a promising start as Ashcroft adopts a nearly-trembling vocal affectation with the vulnerable first line, “Out of the darkness you saved me.” This folksy style choice is very becoming, though, it only lasts for about 20 seconds before the song completely shifts gears. An electronic beat takes over the entire track with Ashcroft transitioning from vulnerability to machismo, boldly declaring to the listener that he is “Out of my body/Out of my mind/Free of control/The way I like it.”

“This Is How It Feels” is one of two songs to be released as a single; the other being “Hold On.” On one hand, the straightforward song structure, memorable refrain and positive atmosphere make it a logical choice to release to the public. On the other hand, it is a bit of a peculiar decision – it’s not an accurate representation of what the rest of “These People” sounds like and its banal rock-ballad style could turn off potential new fans looking for something more exciting. There are some token string arrangements and a few electronic touches but overall “This Is How It Feels” is a fairly forgettable first single.

The title track offers the highest point on the album’s first half. It opens with a pleasantly jangling guitar intro with fuzzy, retro-sounding production techniques, setting the stage for Ashcroft’s vocals, which sport a twang reminiscent of American country singers or maybe even Tom Petty. While with The Verve, Ashcroft’s voice was decidedly British-sounding; on “These People” he is more of a vocal chameleon, showing hints of his accent but sounding like everyone from Johnny Cash to Bono.

The second batch of five songs on “These People” is much stronger than the first. It begins with “Everybody Needs Somebody To Hurt,” a track that completely abandons the rock ‘n roll format and sticks to something closer to trip-hop. If there is any song on this album capable of living up to the majesty of “Bittersweet Symphony,” this is it.

“Picture of You” and “Black Lines” revisit the balladeering of the earlier portion of the album, with varying results. The former trudges along at slow tempos and features overwrought vocal passages while the latter bounds along with the assistance of a piano and finds Ashcroft adopting a hint of Elvis Costello’s new-wave sneer. While at face value the two songs share quite a few similarities, upon closer examination “Black Lines” proves to be more memorable and authentic feeling.

While Richard Ashcroft has not created a modern day masterpiece with “These People,” he gives fans more of what they love. Sure, there are some misses scattered throughout. But for the most part, the 10 songs display the songwriter’s ability to subtly jump from influence to influence without completely abandoning his signature sound.

“These People”  is available on Apple Music on May 20.