A few months back I gave a 4 1/2 to the new album from Travis - The Man Who . . . Truth be told, if I were to review that album today, I would have given it a 5. I give movies and albums perfect scores very rarely, which brings me to the debut album from The Verve lead singer Richard Ashcroft.

With The Verve now history, Ashcroft will attempt a solo career, which shouldn't be terribly difficult since he wrote most of the songs for his band anyway. Going solo, however, can be tricky business. If Alone With Everybody is any indication, Ashcroft should have a long prosperous career. I was quite worried that this album wouldn't cut it after hearing lackluster solo efforts from artists like Chris Cornell (Soundgarden).

Thankfully, Alone With Everybody is a beautifully produced album that offers Ashcroft's rich and passionate vocals as well as his top notch writing skills. In fact, every number on this album is instantly hummable. From the infectious bass line of "New York," to the free flowing "Crazy World," to the catchy "C'mon."

Alone With Everybody is sure to impress fans of The Verve and gain new ones as well. The year is only half over, but Richard Ashcroft's Alone With Everybody sits along side Travis' The Man Who as the best two albums of 2000.