lambchops's Full Review: Human Conditions by Richard Ashcroft
Most folks who are unfamiliar with British pop won’t be familiar with the name Richard Ashcroft. But, believe it or not, you’re well familiar with some of his music.
As the former front man of popular space-rock/alt-rock act The Verve he helped to give the world wonderful music with a dash of conspiracy. A string of three highly regarded albums yielded them a massive fan base and hits that even made an impact stateside. Songs like Bittersweet Symphony and Lucky Man are the most recognizable, but the band gave so much more than just a few tracks to the world. After they split in 1999 the swaggering Ashcroft struck out on a solo career.
Ashcroft made his debut as an independent force in 2000 with the excellent album Alone With Everybody. Despite making only a faint splash in the US, there was little doubt that the singer-songwriter had what it took to elevate his star. I Get My Beat, New York, and A Song for the Lovers helped to make that special.
However there’s this nasty little phenomenon dubbed “sophomore slump.” Some folks are fortunate enough to escape its hold, but not Mr. Ashcroft. The sound which came across as inquisitive, intelligent, magical, and maybe a bit melodramatic on his debut falls flat on 2002’s Human Conditions. I complained in the past that Ashcroft’s lyrics are shallow. On Human Conditions, they aren’t just shallow—they are also ridiculously self important and bland. This isn’t to say the music doesn’t sound good, but compound the bad lyricism with problems with “sameness” and what you’ve got is an album that blends nicely into the woodwork.
I have no doubt that Ashcroft intended to be introspective but in doing so he’s lost the illusion of intimate honesty that I so enjoyed with many of his previous solo songs and releases with The Verve. Even more troubling is that Ashcroft seems to have put a different spin on his music—it’s much less pop or rock than it is adult contemporary. Needless to say, this doesn’t sit well with me and I yearn for the music he is capable of creating. Human Conditions is a hollow example of his talent.
Just ten songs of official material in length (an eleventh is included as a “bonus”), it clocks in at nearly an hour. Yawn. Something about it all makes me think that Ashcroft may have gotten a bit too big for his already strained britches. I’m hard pressed to admit to liking much of Human Conditions at all. There are moments on songs like Nature is the Law (featuring Brian Wilson) in addition to album opener Check the Meaning and also God in Numbers that leave me with a warm fuzzy feeling. Unfortunately, my personal reaction to the whole album is much less favorable.
Despite liking some moments of Check the Meaning, I do think it is with that first song that the trouble begins. There are hints that maybe this will be something funkier and freer than I would have expected, but once Ashcroft begins singing I’m not at all impressed. The chorus is lackluster and the arrangement is boring. The melody is fine enough, and that’s about as positive a statement about anything here you’ll get out of me.
As Human Conditions plods along I feel more as though I’m listening to some adult contemporary singer-songwriter my mother would appreciate than a contemporary pop artiste. In the dozen or more times I’ve suffered through this album I have been bored to tears (and/or sleep) at least ten instances. The songs aren’t offensive or abrasive; rather they are just stagnant and sterile. With Buy it in Bottles blending directly into the directionless Bright Lights and the dry and sing-song Science of Silence dripping over into the self-important acoustics of Man on a Mission, I am repeatedly lulled into an emotionless state.
I could talk about how Human Conditions is just a name-less, face-less modern kind of Muzak. But I won’t. I could talk about how Ashcroft has officially attempted to sell out and failed miserably. But again, I’ll restrain myself. What I will however say is that I can’t help but wonder if Richard Ashcroft has any inspiration left in his body or head. I hope so, I really do. But if Human Conditions is any indication then a quality follow-up to his quality debut Alone With Everybody will take a while longer.
Human Conditions is a painful disappointment.
Rating: 1.5/5 stars
Track Listing:
01. Check the Meaning
02. Buy It in Bottles
03. Bright Lights
04. Paradise
05. God in the Numbers
06. Science of Silence
07. Man on a Mission
08. Running Away
09. Lord I’ve Been Trying
10. Nature Is the Law
11. The Miracle (bonus)
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