Opening with 'Lover', Ashcroft leans into some of his glossiest production yet, flirting with American pop stylings in a way that feels both unexpected and deliberate in his take on Joan Armatrading’s 'Love and Affection'.
Yet, ‘Out of These Blues’ quickly takes the wheel, steering the album into a new sonic current, with strings echoing the wistful resonance of The Rolling Stones’ ‘Wild Horses’. Laced with Americana blues, the track pulls its weight in separating Ashcroft from the hits that once defined Cool Britannia with The Verve and his turn-of-the-millennium solo debut ‘Alone With Everybody’.
‘Heavy News’ doesn’t entirely part from this downtrodden tone, though it does swap the blues for an uncut delivery of pent-up anger and frustration. “Money shrinking / Busy drinking” – just two lyrical snippets that perfectly capture a sentiment shared by many in today's turbulent economy. So direct and unpretentious, they act as the stark yet compelling realism of Ashcroft’s songwriting, epitomised most clearly by the monumental 1997 anthem ‘Bittersweet Symphony’.
Anguished lyrics telling of heartache and emotional estrangement continue – “Don’t you ever say you’re bored of love… Don't you wanna fight the fight with me?”– once again testifies to Ashcroft’s persistent grappling with the weight of despair. If there’s one thing that’s undeniable about the Wigan-born songwriter, it’s his ability to tap into the human psyche’s fundamental feelings of love and loss with remarkable precision, taste, and clarity.
‘Oh L’Amour’ continues to suggest Ashcroft’s quintessential draw hasn’t gone anywhere, with prolonged, swooning vocals laid over gentle strings that demand a sway along. The passing of time is a central theme on this cut, a nod to Ashcroft’s matured artistry and experience in the circuit – “Time beats us all… Those minutes, those hours, I need to be by your side” “They give us time, now I want more”.
Injecting a generous dose of discotheque into an otherwise eclectic mix comes ‘I’m a Rebel’ – a fitting title for a song that takes the album down another rabbit hole. Referencing “Fukushima nightmares”, the somewhat out-of-character track serves as a fitting ode to the explosive – and perhaps unpredictable – elements of his newfound, or rather newly unleashed, artistic flair. But the experimentation doesn’t stop there.
The lofty, upbeat title track – one of the two leading singles from his seventh studio album – remains a standout in the record’s lineup, shimmering with lush pop instrumentation and Ashcroft’s unmistakable croon. It’s both a throwback to his commercial peak characterised by tracks we all know and love, and a testament to how he’s never stopped sharpening his craft, weaving intimacy and bravado into a track that feels at once timeless and daringly modern.
While 'Lovin' You' might not be Ashcroft’s most cohesive work to date, shifting between pop-laden tracks and some of his most bluesy, experimental recordings yet, his return to the studio – arriving amid a Britpop revival – is undoubtedly as authentic as it is welcome.
Ruby Brown
Image: ‘Lovin’ You’ Official Album Cover