1. Check The Meaning
- a long soul song with huge strings from Will Malone and a delayed guitar thingy. "Can you hear what Im saying? Got my mind meditating on love. Love." An eight minute epic in the tradition of "Country Thing" and "I Get My Beat". It features some very powerful lyrics and I think it´s about what amazing things human kind has endured and achieved. "Im like a fish with legs, I fell from the tree, I made a rocket, I made a wheel, swam the ocean, saw the moon, saw the universe, I see you, I see me". Definitely a grower and the first single to be taken from this album.

2. Buy It In Bottles
- we´ve have all heard the acoustic version from Royal Albert Hall and this is so much more than we could´ve expected. It´s in the Drugs Dont Work - mood and it brings up thoughts of Rolling Stones ca: Goats Head Soup-era. This is a stand out track of, not just this album, but of our lives. Strong. It will make your hairs stand up as the red army did to their national anthem. I could write an essay on this song. Definitely a no:1 single.

3. Bright Lights
- features Talvin Singh on a hurricane of tablas. Think Ryan Adams (New York) and, I don´t know, perhaps Bruce Springsteen. Rock music with loads of guitars. I think this is the albums weakest link lyrically but it´s a swinging one. "Come on and ride with me!" Course we will Richard.

4. Paradise
- slow one again. Reminds me of "You Cant Always Get What You Want"(Stones again) in the beginning until the voice comes in and it turns out to be a trademark Richard Ashcroft song. Loads of strings (Lucky Man stylee) and feelings. "Set sail for paradise, Leave in the morning". 5.36 minutes of joy.

5. God In The Numbers
- a weird church organ with some effect laden guitars. Richards voice comes in very near your ears to a fine melody. Alone with some backgound sounds in the beginning. After a few minutes this turns out to be a long soul number with multi layered guitars and an inspired Ashcroft singing his Elvis "I saw god in the numbers". George Clinton will probably like it. "The more I learn of history, The more I hate it, Cuz we´re repeating things we did a thousand years ago, Building palaces of fortune in the sky". 7 minutes.

6. Science Of Silence
- starts out with a strong string melody. "We are on rock, spinning silently" and then it all kicks in. A very pleasant surprise. Somewhere in the positive spirit of Cmon People. A celebration of love and life. Could be a single.

7.Man On A Mission
- "Hey! I heard you run away, but where are you gonna run? You got such a pretty face, and the world is such a small small place, Cause when you´re running on your own, you aint like a rolling stone, cause a stone will finds it place." And then it turns into a bridge that even melody masters like the Byrds wouldn´t have pulled. A perfect chorus. Also a positive song but with a dark mood, perhaps somewhere between Weeping Willow and Cmon People. Could be a single.

8. Running Away
- "Dont drink me Im like terpentine, Make you blind burn you inside". A dreamy and dark one in the spirit of "Brave New World" with loads of reverbs and echoes. Beautiful spacey vocal harmonies. There is a gentle piano in the background and you can hear the mans voice very near sometimes. I dont think I have heard him sing like this before, somehow whispering but not whispering (hmm). It feels intimate.
Not a single ;)

9. Lord I´ve Been Trying
- this is a song that´s been around since the demos for Urban Hymns. And oh my god. This is so good. Strong melody and that warm voice we all love. As Buy It In Bottles it is also in the spirit of "Drugs Dont Work" but with some more soul put in it. This is also a hair raiser, they will stand up as Yazz stood up for her love rights. "It feels good, My love is alright now, yeah, yeah". Will Malone has made a fine work with the strings (as usual). One verse with gentle drumming and a rhodes piano, then I think its Chuck Leavell playing a piano in the background until it bursts out into that perfect chorus. Also worthy of an essay in the art of perfect balladery. Since Buy It In Bottles probably will be released as a single I dont think this will be.

10. Nature Is The Law
- reminds me of one of those huge sounding songs Scott Walker used to make, you know with those huge sounding orchestral drums. Lots of strings and of course, Brian Wilson doing the backing vocals. One of the albums finest moments. Spacey and multi layered everything. Richard has said this is one of the best songs he has written. Well, it is. Awe inspiring. Elvis has not left the building.

This album is as Ashcroft once said "in wide screen". And it is. He has matured, once again, as both song writer and producer. This album features more of everything of what was on Alone With Everybody but it doesn´t feel over produced or pompous. Just pure class and miles better than Alone With Everybody (not saying AWE was a bad album). Exciting times as his b-sides usually are just as great as the album tracks. Cheers.