Alone With Everybody (2012)

Fleeing not only his old band but guitar-rock cliches, the former Verve frontman Richard Ashcroft emerges with Alone With Everybody, an album of sweet symphonies, bitter and otherwise. Piled high with strings and choirs, Alone has flashes of sublime beauty, like the pep talk ''Crazy World,'' and other, creakier moments that feel like U2 (over)produced by Phil Spector (thanks to Ashcroft's vocal resemblance to Bono). Between Ashcroft's groggy delivery and the plush orchestrations, the result is hangover accompaniment for aging alt-rockers. A promising, if imperfect, second wind. C+