Former Verve frontman Richard Ashcroft breaks away from his comfortable Britpop swagger with a new band and a broader sound, taking in flavours of jazz, blues and classic rock. Sadly, apart from its careful orchestration and a few high points, the results are rather underwhelming.
After three solo albums, Richard Ashcroft goes back to making music with a band. The United Nations of Sound are a much more ambitious prospect than The Verve, as almost every track is shrouded in highly produced strings and brass, but Ashcroft's still running the show. More's the pity, as he continually falls into the same trap he always has - repetition without development and a reprehensible tendency to let a song outstay its welcome. The melodies are lacklustre, while Ashcroft's vocals are as droning as ever, maintaining his place as one of the least charismatic men in music.
At times the big sound adopted seems to strive in vain to recreate the anthemic quality so successfully touted by Coldplay and their ilk. It's when this technique is abandoned altogether that United Nations of Sound reveals a few high points. 'America' is refreshingly different, as disco strings and exotic rhythms are oddly combined with bending electric guitar, before the song breaks down into a brief reprieve made up of whistles, plucked violins and deep primal voices. Ashcroft even shows self awareness by referencing Verve song 'The Drugs Don't Work' in the sentimental 'This Thing Called Life'.
United Nations of Sound marks something of a new direction for Ashcroft, and for that he deserves credit, but its few moments of triumph only highlight the insipid nature of much of the album. For all its shiny production, stylish arrangements and epic guitar solos, there's just no substitute for a good tune.
