The Verve has always displayed attitudes and ambitions similar to those of their erstwhile tour mates Oasis (who penned "Cast No Shadow" in honor of the Verve's bony loon of a lead singer, Richard Ashcroft). Here, reunited after a seemingly terminal blow-up three years ago, Ashcroft & Co. go the Bros. Gallagher one better. The Verve has always scaled its guitar-based, often soul-derived sound to the stadium, but emotion never gets lost in the mix, as it frequently did on Oasis's Be Here Now. The U.K. hit "Bitter Sweet Symphony," the surprising ballad "The Drugs Don't Work" and the lashing ax-blast "Come On," to name three standouts on this highly consistent album, all affect the heart as they set the eardrums vibrating. A good deal of the band's impact may be credited to the sublime Ashcroft, whose throaty croon sometimes startlingly summons up thoughts of Neil Diamond (see "Velvet Morning" for compelling evidence). Only one question lingers after a rocking tour de force like this one: Why isn't this band immense?
