The Verve - Forth Album Review

Album Review of Forth by The Verve

Rewind (no this is not that Craig David track with Artful Dodger) back to the nineties. Known as the naughty nineties, but the music was scene was set for Brit Pop and even the Spice Girls. Now we are going a tad earlier when The Verve were making massive waves with (lets face it) 'none radio friendly music' The Verve reached into your soul and yanked on every emotion possible with album releases like 'A Storm In Heaven' and 'Northern Soul'.

As time passed so did The Verve's music, for the better? That is for you to argue but all that I will say is that Radio One played quite a lot of tunes off album number three 'Urban Hymns' and yet the band were coming to an end, and yes they split with the battle of ego's between McCabe and Ashcroft being the catalyst.

The Verve have settled their differences (huh?! Really!) and returned first off with a tour and now carry on with what everyone has been waiting for new material yes album number four which is smartly titled 'Forth'

The album seems like something that has been put together to accommodate everyone's taste that have followed The Verve/Richard Ashcroft's Solo. You listen to the album and immediately.

The highlights of the album for me have to be 'Sit And Wonder' and 'Noise Epic' this gives belief that The Verve have found that spark that they had when they first started at this game. 'Love Is Noise' kind of sits on the fence but still was a good tune to use as the comeback Single.

Then you hear 'I See Houses' and you have to take a second glance that you have actually picked up The Verve's album and not an Ashcroft album. This has Ashcroft written all over it.

Now if you were one of those people that downloaded 'The Thaw Sessions' then like me you probably thought (happily) that The Verve were going to play what the f**k they wanted and if the radio didn't like it then tough s**t. Unfortunately that was a somewhat wrong assumption, in short this is an OK record, but that is it!

4/10

Mark Moore