Richard Ashcroft Lovin' You
Released Oct 3, 2025 RPA/Richard Ashcroft
Established consensus 5 professional reviews Updated Oct 1, 2026
Split critical consensus
Richard Ashcroft's Lovin' You arrives as a sunlit, sometimes uneasy celebration of love and memory that asks whether the singer's strengths can weather adventurous production choices.
How ChoruScore worksCritics' Top Tracks
The songs critics returned to most
Out Of These Blues
5 critic mentions
“The sweeping “Out of These Blues”, rides upon waves of yearning and steel guitar.” — PopMatters
Lover
5 critic mentions
“built around a looped riff sampled from Joan Armatrading’s ‘Love and Affection” — Clash Music
Fly To The Sun
5 critic mentions
“Boss lullaby ‘Fly To The Sun’ finishes the record with a banger” — Hot Press
Full critic consensus
Richard Ashcroft's Lovin' You arrives as a sunlit, sometimes uneasy celebration of love and memory that asks whether the singer's strengths can weather adventurous production choices. Across five professional reviews the record earned a 64/100 consensus score, and critics mostly agree its highs hinge on straightforward songwriting and Ashcroft's weathered, soulful vocal delivery rather than on every experiment with modern pop or sampling.
Reviewers consistently praise standout songs such as “Out Of These Blues”, “Lover”, “Fly To The Sun”, the title track “Lovin' You” and “Heavy News” as the collection's clearest moments - the best songs on Lovin' You that showcase his vocal maturity, romantic sweep and knack for melodic uplift. Several critics highlight a balance between nostalgic homage and new textures: disco-tinged left turns, sampling flourishes and occasional dancefloor gloss sit alongside string-laden balladry and Americana-tinged arrangements. Professional reviews note these choices deliver warmth and reflection when songs lean into simplicity, but feel derivative or awkward when production chases trendier sounds.
The critical consensus is mixed-positive: many reviewers celebrate the album's high points as evidence of Ashcroft's enduring craft and hopefulness, while some find the modernising attempts uneven. For readers asking "is Lovin' You good" the verdict is qualified - worth hearing for the standout tracks and vocal moments, even if the record's experiments leave it feeling inconsistent. Below, detailed reviews map where those strengths and missteps appear across the record.
Track Ratings
How critics rated each track, relative to this album (0-100). Only tracks that made critics feel something are rated.
Lover
Out Of These Blues
Heavy News
Oh L'amour
I'm A Rebel
Find Another Reason
Lovin' You
Live With Hope
Crimson Fire
Fly To The Sun
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What Critics Are Saying
Deep insights from 6 critics who reviewed this album
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Critic's Take
Richard Ashcroft sounds revitalised on Lovin' You, the record leaning into dancefloor gloss while keeping his soulful core intact. The opener, “Lover”, is hailed as a "tremendous entree", and the title song “Lovin' You” furthers the sonic evolution with clever sampling. Tracks like “Out Of These Blues” and “Fly To The Sun” show Ashcroft moving between Americana, strings and bangers with assured ease. In short, the best songs on Lovin' You balance surprise and familiarity, making the album one of his more invigorated sets in years.
Key Points
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The opener “Lover” is the record's most striking moment, setting a surprising disco-tinged tone.
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The album's core strength is blending dancefloor ambition with Ashcroft's familiar soulful songwriting and evocative sampling.
Themes
Critic's Take
Galvanized by summer slots, Richard Ashcroft returns with Lovin' You, where the best songs - notably Lover and the surprising I'm A Rebel - show him bent toward warmth and bold left turns. The album alternates reflection and inspiration, with opener Lover built around a Joan Armatrading riff giving shameless uplift, while disco-tinged I'm A Rebel proves he still enjoys subverting expectations. At his most stretched - vocally and musically - Ashcroft finds the moments that elevate the record, and the title track and closer underline his steady, soulful voice.
Key Points
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‘Lover’ is the best song because its sampled riff, finger-snaps and soulful warmth make it shamelessly uplifting.
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The album’s core strengths are Ashcroft’s timeless baritone, occasional falsettos and a balance of romance, spiritual searching and rebellion.
Themes
Critic's Take
Richard Ashcroft sounds most himself on Lovin' You, and the best songs - notably Fly To The Sun and the title track Lovin' You - let that voice and melody breathe. The record is strongest when Ashcroft stops chasing trends and simply sings, as on Fly To The Sun, which feels like the album's high point. The country-tinged Out Of These Blues and the glam-tinged rocker Heavy News show his range, but it is the plainly brilliant moments where he "shines" that make these the best tracks on Lovin' You.
Key Points
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The best song is Fly To The Sun because it captures Ashcroft at his most himself, where his talent and brilliance burst through.
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The album's core strengths are melodic songwriting, stylistic diversity, and heartfelt themes of love and hope.
Themes
Critic's Take
Patrick Gill finds that on Lovin' You Richard Ashcroft remains stamped by love, with lead single Lover and the sweeping Out of These Blues standing out as the album's most convincing moments. Gill writes in a measured, slightly rueful tone that celebrates Ashcroft's songwriting chops while noting a weathered voice and some contrivances - the best tracks, he suggests, lean into simple, romantic sweep rather than electronic affectation. He particularly praises Crimson Fire as a tinkling return to the singer-songwriter Ashcroft once epitomized, even as other experiments feel jarring. The narrative positions these as the best tracks on Lovin' You, arguing that they show why listeners still care about Ashcroft's craft.
Key Points
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The best song(s) combine Ashcroft's romantic sweep and simple songwriting, notably "Out of These Blues" and "Lover".
Themes
Critic's Take
In his mordant way J.R. Moores savages Richard Ashcroft's Lovin' You, singling out the limp single Lover and the awkwardly upbeat title track as emblematic of the album's problems. Moores writes with acidic relish about how the record alternates between predictable string-laden ballads and ill-fitting attempts at modern pop - he cites Out Of These Blues and Live With Hope only to note their formulaic comfort. Overall the critic positions those tunes as the album's only fleeting strengths amid a sea of misjudged experiments and pastiche.
Key Points
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The review singles out 'Out Of These Blues' as one of the album's few tolerable, comfortingly familiar tracks.
Themes
Critic's Take
Richard Ashcroft's Lovin' You finds its best moments in the anthemic tenderness of Lover, the intimate warmth of Oh L'Amour, and the spacious sway of Out Of These Blues. There is measured praise for adventurous detours like I'm A Rebel, even as the album largely comforts by returning to a familiar, expertly crafted British ballad rock. This is presented as vindication - proof that his voice remains an unstoppable force, and that the best tracks on Lovin' You feel both essential and true to his legacy.
Key Points
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Lover is the best song because its standout cover arrangement and soaring vocal set the album's tone.
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The album’s core strengths are Ashcroft’s mature, unhurried vocals and a return to well-crafted British ballad rock with moments of adventurous production.