EVERETT"S NOT TRUE

THE ABOVE EDITORIAL REVIEW BY EVERETT TRUE ( A BRIT TRANSPLANT WHO WROTE FOR LOCAL MAG THE STRANGER HERE IN SEATTLE) IS SLANTED TOWARDS A YEARNING FOR THE GOOD OL JAM DAYS(AND THEY WERE GOOD) BUT FOR THOSE LIVING IN THE FUTURE THIS ACOUSTIC MORE MATURE WELLER IS JUST FINE WITH US. CHANGE IS WELLERS STRENGTH WHETHER IT WAS SPEEDFUELLED PUNK TO HORN INFUSED SOUL TO STINTS WITH HOUSE MUSIC(A FOR EFFORT-DESPITE FAILING) ONTO HIS ACOUSTIC HEAVY SOLO CAREER. I SAW THIS SHOW IN LA AND WAS IMPRESSED AT THE STRIPPED DOWN RAWNESS OF BOTH HIS VOICE AND PLAYING AND IT WAS NICE TO HEAR THE SIMPLE STRUCTURE AND PURITY OF THE ORIGINAL COMPOSITIONS- IN FACT IT WAS BETTER THAN HIS FULL BAND PERFORMANCES WHICH ARE ALWAYS GOOD BECAUSE IT WAS WELLER WITHOUT ALL THE FUSS. THE lOVED IS STELLAR-AS ARE SONGS LIKE YOU DO SOMETHING TO ME WHICH I NEVER REALLY LIKED IN STUDIO FORM BUT HERE THEYRE GREAT. THE WHOLE ALBUM MAKES FOR GOOD LISTENING AND EVERY ONE IVE PLAYED IT FOR WHO HADNT HEARD OF WELLER(AND THERE ARE MANY HERE IN THE STATES) ALL WENT OUT AND BOUGHT THIS AND OTHER ALBUMS FROM THROUGHOUT HIS CAREER. MOST LIVE ACOUSTIC OR LIVE ALBUMS IN GENERAL ARE NOT WORTH HAVING BUT THIS MAKES FOR A EVENING OF GREAT TUNES- AND THATS THE KEY HERE-ALL THE SONGS ARE SOLID AND WELLER IS A CLASS ABOVE MANY OF THE FLY BY NIGHT BANDS THAT TRUE HAS PRAISED IN THE PAST. SURE ITS HARD TO HEAR TOWN CALLED MALICE WITHOUT THE GREAT HORNS AND MOTOWN BEAT BUT IVE HEARD THAT A MILLION TIMES BEFORE. ITS A FRESH START TO HEAR IT IN THIS FORMAT-ALL IN ALL WELLERS ON A ROLL STARTING WITH HELIOCENTRIC TO DAYS OF SPEED AND ONTO TO ILLUMINATION. HE LOST ME IN THE MID 90S BUT ONCE AGAIN IS WINNING ME BACK WITH ALBUMS LIKE THIS.

How can anyone say "wooden voice?"

How dare you! This man is THE man at the moment with one of the best voices in popular music. This album proves it. And although I want to continue to rant about Weller I do realize it's somewhat a silly thing to do. I mean, c'mon, how can you argue when Pink and 50 cent top the charts and Weller gets practically no mention or airplay.

Just fine.

I don't find this "heavy going" at all! On the contrary, "English Rose" sounds far more tender than it did when Paul Weller sang it in his Jam days. And songs such as "Amongst Butterflies," "Out Of The Sinking," and "Headstart for Happiness" get a lift from the one-one-one contact Weller has with the audiences while he's playing. These versions are at least as good as the studio versions, in some cases better. Even if you're more a fan of his studio albums, this album gives proof positive that Paul Weller, stripped down to one guitar and voice, can deliver the goods. Which he does in spades.