***The Verve

URBAN HYMNS

(Virgin)

In the wake of two highly praised albums (1993's A Storm in Heaven and 1995's A Northern Soul), England's Verve nearly broke up last year. Substance abuse was widely rumored, but whatever the reason, the band took a rest. It pays off on Urban Hymns, a disc that both challenges and improves on the prevailing notions of Brit-pop. Unlike Oasis, the Verve don't need to boast about their talent -- they let their songs do the talking.

Singer Richard Ashcroft can use his voice to evoke the tonal depth of Bono or the haughty arrogance of Liam Gallagher. His poetic lyrics deal candidly with the band's troubled past ("The Drugs Don't Work," "Bitter Sweet Symphony"). And the band support him with thickly layered tunes that drive Urban Hymns forward with symphonic intensity, cranking "Weeping Willow" up with the gusto of the Stone Roses. This is one of the album's most powerful songs, wrapping heavy guitar chords around even heavier lyrics that confront drug abuse and suicide ("The pill's under my pillow . . . the gun's under your pillow"). It's not the first time this has happened, but the Verve have turned misfortune into a creative triumph.

-- Michael S. Julianelle