Heart of a Punk Soul of a Rasta

Richard Ashcroft
"The Journey"

Strange days indeed! Exactly a week before Christmas and by way of an email Richard Ashcroft returns (like the proverbial ghost of Christmas past) with a new song singular linked to a short film about human trafficking and the sex trade.(Spend a moment here) http://www.helenbamber.org/

Last time I was in the presence of Mr Ashcroft it was at The Roundhouse on the 8th November 2007 - I was reacquainting myself with The Verve after far, far too long. The ballistic intensity of Ashcroft and The Verve that night equalled if not eclipsed my experiences of Verve past, things seemed good for Part III of The Verve, but "Forth" and the festivals came and went and the break up followed and so too the inevitable silence.

But now he's back what does this mere glimpse of Ashcroft tell us (if anything) of where Mr Ashcroft's musical journey will be taking us next? The new Ashcroft album is supposedly due for release in 2010 and will strangely enough be his fourth solo album - eight studio albums (Verve & solo) in two decades doesn't seem a great deal when reduced down to cold numbers (not as much material as The Smiths - sorry the written words a killer). But then Ashcroft has never travelled on the mundane conveyor belt of album/tour, album/tour, album/tour - there have been many cancellations, excursions and several derailments on the journey of Ashcroft.

On "The Journey" the obscenity of the subject matter is handled adroitly by Ashcroft as he delivers a full on baton blow of a vocal, more of a proclamation than a song, he sings "She lies down and thinks of England" with a voice full of emotion and irony as the accompanying string orchestration ploughs coldly and relentlessly on and on.

In the past "Mad Richard's" personal self control has at times been questionable but when it comes to music, the control has always been firmly enclosed in his own tight white knuckled grasp.

"I've been on the shelf too long
Sitting at home in my bed too long
Now it's time to hear my song
How are you gonna take it?"


I dunno!

"Are you ready?"

Fuck Yes!

[Unfortunately "The Journey" is only available via the shitty banality of the impersonal download , sometimes allowances have to be made.]