Richard Ashcroft plays the Albert Hall in Manchester (Photo: Gary Mather for Live4ever Media)
Richard Ashcroft has released his new album Natural Rebel on this latest New Music Friday – have a listen on Live4ever via Spotify.
Ashcroft’s fifth solo LP continues a renewed period of productivity for the Verve frontman, swiftly following 2016’s These People after that record had by contrast brought a decade-long wait for fresh material to an end. In our review, Live4ever observed that, as the last of the great songwriters of his generation to turn 50, ‘middle-age seems a good place to be‘:
“The key influence on Natural Rebel is Tom Petty (RIP), who was himself anthemic but with a more middle-of-the-road hue. It’s most notable on All My Dreams, a curious choice for an album opener, the subject matter being the love of his life Kate Radley, one can safely assume.”
“More of the same follows on Birds Fly, which is a full-on string ballad with a twist. As ever, Ashcroft is going for timeless songwriting, always covering the big themes of love, life and pain – first single Surprised By The Joy is as radio-friendly as he’s ever been; ‘I wanna walk the garden with you. A natural rebel, here I am’.”