If the mania surrounding Oasis Live 2025 taught us anything, it’s that the masses still have some stake in Britpop over a quarter century removed. When it comes to Richard Ashcroft, the Verve frontman who just happens to be the tour’s opening act, two prevailing depictions emerge. He is either that drawn-faced guy who sang that one song (ahem, “Bittersweet Symphony”), or “Mad Richard”, the frontman of the innovative shoegaze band that somehow broke into the mainstream. It’s often with these distorted expectations that listeners come to view him as a solo artist, even seven records in.
Lovin’ You, which Ashcroft co-produced with Chris Potter and Emre Ramazanoglu, finds him floating comfortably in the next and maybe final phase of his career, still innately connected to who he once was but mostly consumed with love, as he has been since he broke out with Alone with Everybody (2000). On this LP, Ashcroft still proves he has songwriting chops, but he also sounds weathered by time. He appears to be in search of a spark, something that finds him venturing into familiar territory but also exploring dance and rock and roll, in severe contrast to his poetic charm.
To his credit, Ashcroft sounds reenergized across much of the album. Lead single “Lover” builds upon Joan Armatrading’s “Love and Affection”. This time around Ashcroft got all the right permissions and even praise from the artist (in stark contrast to a highly publicized legal battle with the Rolling Stones). The sweeping “Out of These Blues”, rides upon waves of yearning and steel guitar. It’s as close as Ashcroft comes to the romantic beautify achieved on Urban Hymns (1997). “Crimson Fire” tinkles with brilliance and recalls the singer-songwriter we have come to know and appreciate.
Unfortunately, Ashcroft rarely soars to the heights we have come to expect from such an anthemic songwriter. He relies too heavily on artificial devices over natural sounds. In a contrived attempt to be rocking, “Heavy News” comes across like Stereophonics meets Bon Jovi, with big, dark imagery, like “Heavy weapons / Armageddon / Satellites beaming from heaven”. This is to say nothing about the overblown “I’m a Rebel”, which was co-written by Mirwais, the French electronic dance producer.
Ashcroft will occasionally blend his voice with others for maximum effect, but it mostly distracts from how compelling he is serenading listeners with nothing more than his guitar. The title track uses a riff from Mason Williams’ “Classical Gas”, then adds an orchestral loop and percussive beats, which primarily reminds listeners of just how inventive the original was. The samples may serve a purpose, as Ashcroft’s not the vocalist he once was. The ballad “Find Another Reason” exposes a legend worn by cigarettes and time.
At a specific point, namely when Ashcroft married Kate Radley, his albums began to be consumed with love (just as Spiritualized releases centered more on heartbreak). Even after two-and-a-half decades, Ashcroft still has love stamped everywhere. When he attempts to prove he has more to offer, as he does occasionally here, the explorations sound jarring.
Many of the tracks are decent, just not earth shattering, which is maybe what we have come to expect at this juncture of his career. That may be good enough for the masses, however. If Richard Ashcroft’s minor part in the Oasis phenomenon is any indication, it’s that millions of listeners are content to relive the past and don’t need another hit just to prove their fandom.