Product Description

We have 200 signed copies of this album which will be randomly allocated to customer orders.

Track Listing

1. Why Not Nothing?
2. Music Is Power
3. Break The Night With Colour
4. Words Just Get In The Way
5. Keys To The World
6. Sweet Brother Malcolm
7. Cry Til The Morning
8. Why Do Lovers?
9. Simple Song
10. World Keeps Turning

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5798 in Music
• Released on: 2006-01-23
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Enhanced, Explicit Lyrics

Amazon.co.uk Review
The Verve fought their way to the top of the Britpop pile with a series of triumphant, world-beating anthems, but since their dissolution, frontman Richard Ashcroft’s muse has led him further into introspective, acoustic territory. Quite heartening, then, that his third album kicks off with a mighty burst of brass, an ecstatic Motown rhythm and in "Why Not Nothing?", one of his most bullish, headstrong lyrics in recent memory.

Ashcroft’s new emphasis on classic-tinged soulfulness--a nice change from his occasional, unfortunate tendency towards lumpen Britpop blokeiness--permeates Keys To The World, a factor that sets it on a par with the likes of Weller’s 2000 album Heliocentric in the return-to-form stakes. There are two real highlights though: the swooning "Words Just Get In The Way" should see some manly tears shed, an older, wiser uncle of Coldplay’s "Fix You" that offers a shoulder to cry on over a noble flourish of violins, while "World Keeps Turning" ends the album on a proud note, Ashcroft declaring "Everythin’ right in my life again" as the album gallops to a close.--Louis Pattison

Customer Reviews

An enjoyable listen but not a classic
Keys to the world is a good, solid album but is certainly not on the same scale as The Verve's 'Urban hymns'
I think the album has 5 very good songs (why not nothing, break the night, keys to the world, cry til the morning and why do lovers) and I feel that if all the songs were at this quality then this album would be great, but the other 5 are a bit boring, though not poor songs, they just don't do much for me
so a solid effort by Richard Ashcroft but he still seems to be lacking something since his Verve days

A well produced album.
I'm standing up for Ritchie Ashcroft on this one, this is a good album. If you were expecting the Verve then of course you'll be disappointed, but this is a fresh direction and you can hear it in the music. There's more than a few really good songs on this album and the filler isn't bad either.

I predict that Richard Ashcroft's solo work will be rediscovered in years to come.

Yawnarama
Break The Night With Colour is a fantastic piece of work which leaves everything else on this CD trailing in its wake. Ashcroft's affected vocal style is a further nuisance. Can just about face listening to Cry Til The Morning and World Keeps Turning again, but the rest would be better moulded into an ashtray. Recommendation: buy the single.