Richard Ashcroft seamlessly moved from The Verve into his brilliant solo career and this album along with the others is fantastic. Richard is the best thing to come out of Britian and hopefully he will keep putting out new albums for years.

To all you fellow fans of the three strong albums released by The Verve: what are you hearing in Richard Ashton's first solo album that I'm not? After about five listenings, not one song sticks out (maybe "New York," which sort of reminds me of the U2 song of the same title), and the entire album leaves me cold. Almost every song goes on too long, and Ashton seemingly has forgotten how to write a rousing chorus, ala "Weeping Willow" or "Lucky Man." The absence of Verve guitarist extraordinaire, Nick McCabe, is especially missed.

Normally I review every album by a particular band in order of release, and, if you're interested, I reviewed the three Verve albums, awarding each four or five stars. However, even though people say that Ashton's second solo effort is better than his first, after spending too much time with "Alone With Everybody," there are just so many other albums I'd rather buy.

Now, don't let this statement turn you off, as I know that there are many of you that don't like hip-hop, and that the difference between gangsta rap (or any rap, for that matter) and the shoegazing wall of sound that the Verve produced is indeed a large one, but bear with me; I have a good point.
Eminem, one of my favorite artists, was at his best, in my opinion, better in the beginning, when he was raw, more energetic, and more willing to piss everyone off. But in the last two albums of his, he's become (sigh) more mature, more introspective, and his music's become samey, and not as thrilling or impactful as it was in those classic days when he could, lyrically, do just about anything.
The same is evident here, with Richard Ashcroft's solo debut. I was saddened to discover that the Verve had separated; indeed, they were second only to the Stone Roses in pioneering the shoegazing sound, taking it to a more experimental and spiritual place. "Bittersweet Symphony", the song that made the Verve's last album, Urban Hymns, a worldwide success, was indeed a stroke of genius, and Ashcroft, no longer having the power of his band behind him, has not matched it here. Of course, no one expected him to.
What Ashcroft does present here is his own incredible songwriting talents, and his formidable ability to craft a melody, which is largely present on the first half of this album.
Indeed, everything from the brilliant songcraft of "Song For The Lovers" and "I Get My Beat", to the introspection of "Brave New World" is brilliant. "You On My Mind In My Sleep" is one of the best love songs I've heard in a long time, and Ashcroft even manages to revisit some of that brilliant Verve-era psychedelia on "New York", probably my favorite track.
"Crazy World", another up-tempo one along the lines "Song For The Lovers", is also enjoyable, but it's not quite as well polished melodically, and it symbolizes a decline in the quality of the songs. The latter half of the album is a bit too stripped down for my tastes, mainly a largely acoustic affair, even experimenting in the twang-twang guitars so well known in country music (eww).
"Money To Burn" sees Rich tinkering with that fringe blues-country Zeppelin mastered on 3 & 4, with mixed results. "Slow Was My Heart", while lyrically strong, could just as easily be presented by Toby Keith. "C'mon People" is complete Georgia Satellites, or maybe even Billy Ray Cyrus (gag). Lastly, "Everybody", the closer, strays a bit from these country leanings (thank you, Christ), but still isn't up to caliber with one of Urban Hymn's less memorable slow-tunes.
The only song worthy of note in this latter half is "On A Beach", which is lyrically equal, or even superior to "You On My Mind".
All in all, I'm happy for Mr. Ashcroft. He's found love, he's cleaned up, and he sounds happier than he was in those days of Northern Soul. As a songwriter, he's grown up, but sadly, that's a double-edged sword, as growing up usually takes away all of the angst that makes music exciting. Here's hoping that the other members of the Verve can see past their differences, and show Coldplay and Keane, or whoever who's the boss.