It either works or it doesn't. It can be a major leap of faith for a musician to leave the comfort of being a member of a really successful band in search of pastures new in the form of a solo career. Without the backing of the musician's band members it can be a daunting prospect to try and achieve. But if the artist is the brains behind the outfit and wrote most of the music for their group it usually means they have it in them to pen a great solo record. And that is exactly what the following 5 singers were able to achieve.
5. Richard Ashcroft (The Verve)
The Verve were a massive Indie Rock band. However they were prone to the odd break up every now and then. This was - as their famous song goes - a Bittersweet Symphony as it meant Ashcroft could work on his solo material. The songwriter released his first album - "Alone With Everybody" in 2000 where it peaked at the number one spot. Two singles on the album - "A Song For The Lovers" and "Money To Burn" both reached the top 20 in the UK singles charts. His following album was entitled "Human Conditions". It too did well, peaking at number 3 in the charts and included the fantastic "Check The Meaning". Ahscroft carried on this success when his third album "Keys to the World" took second place in the charts. "Break the Night with Colour" was the stand out tune on that record. The artist's latest record didn't do quite as well but still managed to garner some fairly positive reviews. Song to listen to: Check the Meaning