Bare Bones Weller

This is Paul Weller stripped back bare. Ever since Sound Affects I imagined Paul Weller on his own, on stage with a guitar and this is it and it's good. The opening track "Brand New Start" is superb, if you're a Weller fan it's sure to send shivers up your spine. Other gems include, Above the Clouds, Wild Wood and the crowd goes wild when Paul rips into a sped up acoustic version of Thats Entertainment. The whole album flows together with a relaxed reminiscent and nostalgic flavour.

If you close your eyes and imagine hard enough you can almost see Weller sitting on a stool strumming away on his Gibson J45 in your local. Some have thought Weller quite aloof with his fans, this album sets the record straight, there is that natural intimate feeling that only seem to get with an acoustic concert.

This album will have limited appeal to new Weller fans more to die-hards, however I must say strict Jam fans will be disappointed (aren't they always!). It gets 4 stars only because personally I think Paul comes across better with either a big band sound behind him or a higher fidelity production.

However, I'm eargerly awaiting Paul to turn up at my local with his Gibson and his stool. He'd could have as many Stellas as he wanted.

Daily Listen.

Buy this record. You deserve it. Paul deserves it. Out of my collection of 1,000+ CD's, this one is always on top. My personal daily listen. Those who have given this work a lower rating than I have must not have listened carefully enough nor long enough. Paul, his guitar, this recording. Now it's your turn.

If you want an introduction to P. Weller, pick this one 1st

This cd covers PW's whole career up until his 5th release,
"Heliocentric". The Jam's "That's Entertainment" is amazinga nd
the classic "English Rose" will give you the warm fuzzy feelings
that only PW can do. Also, two classic Style Council songs come in the form of "Headstart for Happiness" and "Down in the Seine".
But my favorite tracks are the opening, "Brand New Start" that you can only find on his Best of called Modern Classics, track two "the Loved", "Clues" is the most romantic song ever and "Wildwood" is incredible! His
honesty and integrity is so real it's inspiring, his voice and
acoustic guitar is mesmerizing...