The start is promising. In the opening track Are You Ready? Richard Ashcroft expresses regret of his 'life of sin', and fortunately he does so with a strong chorus. His grinding voice has lost none of its tough 'swagger'. For this album, Ashcroft teamed up with hip hop producer No ID, who is best known for his work with Kanye West and Jay-Z, and that seems like a good move at first. Until Richard
… Ashcroft starts rapping himself. During the low point This Thing Called Life, Ashcroft sounds like a man who is suffering from a midlife crisis and who tries to process the setbacks in his life in an R&B song. Typical case of the wrong therapy. Ashcroft still looks like a real rock star with colossal sunglasses and white suit, but his fiddling with hip-hop is probably a bridge too far for fans of his old work. (PdK)more
