Distancing himself still further from the howling guitars and shoegazer drones of his old band, the Verve, on his second solo effort, Richard Ashcroft maintains the stripped-down, introspective aesthetic of 2000's Alone with Everybody. Human Conditions focuses on the same spiritual battle of religion and love versus desperation and disillusionment—it's a conflict Ashcroft has been waging with himself and the world since the Verve's intensely sad 1995 release, A Northern Soul. Whether he's winning or losing these psychic skirmishes is still in question, but songs like "Paradise" ("How long can I stay here? How long can I pray here?") and "Lord I've Been Trying" indicate a deepening spiritual inspiration. Listening to Ashcroft work out his demons used to be a lot more fun; many former Verve fans undoubtedly miss the band's fire and theatricality, as well as the thematic counterpoint once provided by guitarist Nick McCabe. Undeniably though, the deeper he digs, the more interesting and mature he sounds, even without a bolt of electrified angst to drive the point home. --Matthew Cooke
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