Alone With Everybody - Richard Ashcroft
Metascore
70 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 20 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 20
  2. Negative: 2 out of 20
  1. 90
    Nearly an instant classic...one of the most convincing and refreshing debuts in recent memory.
  2. The result is not only a more ambitious album than one might have expected, it's also a substantial step forward from Urban Hymns, the Verve's own crowning achievement.
  3. A 60-minute torrent of positivity, an open-ended love letter to his wife -
  4. He has moved on from the effervescent prettiness of his former band to make music for himself -- something the Verve might have done somewhere in time, but it wouldn't have been so honest or stripped as this solo jaunt
  5. Warm, lush soundtracks bathe the ears in the same bittersweet symphonics that marked out the latter-day Verve. [#146, p. 82]
  6. This is a confident, competent new direction from one of rock's most intriguing figures.
  7. 80
    Though not without the psychedelics that informed the Verve's early records, Ashcroft spends most of Alone elaborating on the same elegance he initially allowed to die with the Verve's 1998 disbanding. [#46, p.67]
  8. For the most part, Richard Ashcroft's debut solo disc delivers.... an album full of soulful and genuine expressions of hope.
  9. 80
    A grand, sweeping album of heavenly melodies and rich, full textures.
  10. Alone With Everybody is a good album with great moments.
  11. Admittedly, he seems to be missing a sparring partner like McCabe and thus, "Alone" often suffers a lack of tension. Still, Ashcroft's unabashed joy is rather contagious.
  12. 70
    Fans of the The Verve, or just plain fans of "Bittersweet Symphony," may feel a little let down as the record as a whole, though still steeped in a love of strings and complex arrangement, does not carry the same sonic weight of previous work.
  13. There's a lot to like about Alone With Everybody, and a lot to take in. Most of these busily layered tracks exceed five minutes, and most outstay their welcome.
  14. 60
    In all seriousness, it's often closer to Elton John than The Verve.
  15. There's almost no drama to be found on Alone With Everybody... [t]he songs don't turn corners, and they fail to elicit any real emotional response.
  16. The problem is that Alone never peaks -- it's without a memorable riff or melody or chorus standing out from the mellow flow.
  17. Now more than ever Richard Ashcroft is comfortable with music that strays alarmingly close to the Middle Of The Road.
  18. Music that is designed to smother, to sedate, to lull the listener into a soporific state of boredom.
  19. 30
    At the core of these lush power ballads is a lot of empty posturing -- especially when it comes to lyrics.
  20. Overly orchestrated mid-tempo ballads with inane lyrics.
User Score

Generally favorable reviews- based on 12 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 8
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 8
  3. Negative: 1 out of 8
  1. LilianaR
    9
    I like: A song for the lovers!
  2. dougb
    1
    this recrod is wretched
  3. PhilA
    10
    Richard Ashcroft has made a brilliant debut solo album here. While this in no way can be compared to the Verve and what they did, it's still incredible and fascinating album. Anyone who says this is Middle of the Road is really not listening, because Ashcroft is easily being innovative on this record the same way the Verve were. Check out the incredibly 'out there' New York, with heavy hitting riffs and interesting back drop noises. I Get My Beat is also sounding nothing like what I've ever heard on the radio. Meanwhile, Ashcroft throws in some deliciously infectious pop tunes via "C'mon People We're Making It Now" which sound only like Ashcroft and nothing else in this solar system. Match the catchy songs with their confidence and absolute power to affect, like A Song For The Lovers, which shows with great power how Ashcroft is still capable of wowing us. ?Great album, people who say otherwise need their heads examined. Full Review »