Human Conditions

Richard Ashcroft’s second solo record is full of his familiar touchstones: mid-tempo anthems and grand ballads examining the metaphysics of love and life. Sharing production with long-time studio sidekick Chris Potter, he’s finessed his sound so that it’s rich yet uncluttered. The soft layers of strings and brass don’t sacrifice the emotive melodies of “Check The Meaning” and “Buy It in Bottles” or the intimacy of Ashcroft’s warm and weathered voice. On “Nature Is the Law” he harmonises skillfully with Brian Wilson, holding his own alongside the sort of pop royalty he’s always measured himself against.