Six years after forming
the United Nations of Sound -- a pseudo-group that lasted no more than a single record --
Richard Ashcroft pushes himself back into the spotlight on
These People, a 2016 album that finds the former
Verve singer reuniting with
Wil Malone, an orchestrator who worked on
Urban Hymns and
Northern Soul.
Malone's presence suggests
These People may achieve a certain symphonic heft, yet
Ashcroft sidesteps the churning psychedelia and progressive majesty of
the Verve's prime. In its place, the singer/songwriter taps into a certain insouciant sophistication, favoring insistent arena anthems and finely tailored Eurodisco. Often,
Ashcroft's intentions are apparent -- it's evident whenever he's following the blueprints of "Bittersweet Symphony" and "The Drugs Don't Work," just as it's clear that the dance beats and electronics are a bid for hip credibility -- but he winds up with sounds that aren't the ideal vehicle for whatever vague sociological protest
Ashcroft attempts to mine here. If the music is separated from the message -- which is fairly easy to do, due to its slippery shimmer --
These People functions as a pleasing adult alternative record. True, it's an album that favors mood over form but after several somnolent solo records, not to mention the botched ambitions of
the United Nations of Sound, the cool assurance and shiny veneer of
These People is quite welcome. [
These People was also released on LP.] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine