Toad

I have to say that "Urban Hymns" is probably one of my top 10 albums of all time...strange I know. I tried to download some of his solo stuff before I quit downloading, but was never successful.

Has anyone heard anything from "Human Conditions"? Is his stuff kinda like the Verve?

mediabear

I love Richard Ashcroft's solo CDs. I have Human Conditions and Alone with Everybody.

Amazon has some audio up from the CD that you can judge for yourself:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...music&n=507846

Toad

Thanks - were you also a fan of "Urban Hymns"?

jonnyrocks

I've always been a huge fan of the Verve, probably one of my top 20 favorite bands of all time.

Richard Ashcroft's solo work picks up where Urban Hymns left off. He seems to have stuck with the styles that were born on Urban Hymns, with slight differences in arrangements and diversity.

Of the two solo albums, I find Human Conditions to be a stronger album. Some songs on Alone with Everybody were a bit weak, and sometimes just boring. Human Conditions, on the otherhand, is a more consistent and focused effort.

I'd say that if you could imagine removing all of Nick McCabe's guitar work out of Urban Hymns and replacing it with more elaborate "strings" and keyboards, then you would totally enjoy his solo material.

fazeem

I am a huge fan of the Verve and Richard Ashcroft. I love all of the verve's albums and find Richard Ashcroft solo stuff to be sometimes magnificent, sometimes not so good.

jonnyrocks's assesment that
is pretty spot on.

Nothing on Richard's solo cds can compare to the power of songs like "Come On" or "Rolling People" off Urban Hymns. If you liked those songs off Urban Hymns definitely check out the Verve CDs "A Nothern Soul" and "A Storm in Heaven." If you liked songs like 'The Drugs Don't Work' or 'Sonnet' then definitely check out Richard's solo CDs.

tofu

I was also a big fan of the Verve. Damn shame that they broke up. While I did like "Alone with Everybody", I didn't really like Human Conditiions quite as much. I guess for lack of a better word, it lacked the "grandeur" and depth of AWE.

evenflow

A Northern Soul is as good as Urban Hymns, IMO. On Your Own is amazing.

That said, Richard Ashcroft's solo albums are very good. Not as good as his stuff with the Verve but still enjoyable. If you liked The Drugs Don't Work or Sonnet, check You on My Mind in My Sleep from his first album. Great song.

It's a shame that the Verve broke up. They were talented and made three great LPs.

Toad

Thanks guys; as I loved most of the slower stuff like Sonnet but also worship songs like Weeping Willow, I'll definitely be checking out the solo stuff.