A Brand New Start

As a longtime devotee of Paul Weller's music, going back 21 years (yikes!) I've weathered the brilliant (first solo album & Wild Wood), the decent (Stanley Road & Heavy Soul) and the drought (Heliocentric). I have to admit that though the last proper studio album had it's moments, it seemed Weller was treading the same muddy waters and had riffed his way into a tight corner. The soulful optimism that characterized his best work gave way to mostly ponderous minor-keyed bluesrock reminicent of 70's era Clapton. Of course he is still the best songwriter of his generation and such meanderings are forgivable, but I couldn't help but wonder after three albums of this stuff if this was the end result to such a diverse and richly measured musical expression. Well, I should've learned my lesson back in the late Style Council days. You can never count the geezer out. With the release of his new album 'Illumination' Weller has moved the furniture around again and opened the windows... wide. This is his brightest, freshest sounding album since his eponymous debut. It could with repeated listenings become my personal favorite. His voice is smooth and soulful, the songs beautifully crafted and uplifting (!). He seems to be in a much happier state of mind (though he gets some political jabs in here and there) and the music reflects this with remarkable grace and maturity. The mood is easy, playful and reflective. It's a summertime record for the winter chill, and a welcome retreat from these hostile and unstable times. I could go from song to song, but the whole collection is really of a piece and deserves better words than I can summon up, though I will single out "Leafy Mysteries" as being on par
with "My Ever-Changing Moods" and "Kosmos", and deserving a place in the upper pantheon of Weller classics.
The same could be said of the lead-off track "Going Places". In fact, this record is much closer in tone and spirit to his first solo record, it could almost be a bookend. Having jettisoned longtime producer Brendan Lynch to produce himself was a step in the right direction. Gone are the over-indulgent sound effects (that did get old after awhile) and the muffled low-end drum sound that marked the later albums and at times seemed at odds with Steve White's magnificent drumming. Lynch certainly served a purpose in the early days, but it's time to move on and Weller does an expert job handling the reigns. This is seriously a top-notch recording. I can't express that enough, and one that deserves better reviews than it probably will get from the blowhard music press. But I don't care, my new decade just got off to a rousing start. The Changingman is back!

Average Effort from Amazing Talent

I, like so many of his loyal fans, awaited Paul Weller's new release with the bright hope that he would again hit his musical stride and create another one of his masterworks. Unfortunately, Paul seems to have phoned this album home... On ILLUMINATION most of the songs seem to fall somewhere between good to average (to even downright poor), with really only a handful of tracks standing out as fresh and vibrant. Paul seems to be currently comfortable in resting on his laurels, not digging deep to find a fresh spin on his musical genius. Yes, fans still NEED and WILL buy this to complete their collection and enjoy the always cool packaging/photos. the fact is we all know Weller has more to offer and still can make magic when he wants to. For now, we'll have to look back in his back catalog and wait for his next release... Note: Bring back Brendan Lynch to produce as well - the overall bite and texture is missing this tiem around.

It Feels Like Autumn

Autumn is here and perfect timing for this leafy mystery of an album. Paul Weller is at his most vulnerable and yet, at his ease. This album shows tones in his voice I've never heard before. A comfortability with himself and his place in the world. Introspective and intimate with some straight up rock n' roll and soul. An album that reveals more and more tones through multiple listenings.

Weller produces yet another stellar album

This is not Weller's best, but is still a very solid, enjoyable album. His last studio effort, 2000's "Heliocentric," served up helpings of folk and even a little prog-rock just to keep it interesting. This time around, Weller's still retro-centric, but the songs are easier to digest.

The first single, "It's Written in the Stars," is probably one of the catchiest songs he's ever written, thanks to a delicious horn sample. The second single, "Leafy Mysteries," is an effortless folk/rock single. Other highlights include the acoustic-based ballad "Bag Man" and the anthemic "Standing Out in the Universe."

Weller's not trying to break new ground with "Illumination," but he doesn't need to. After all, he's already one of the greatest songwriters of the last 25 years.

Wish all musicians age this good...

The British may never get over The Jam's break up, initiated by a singer that seemed perpetually inflicted with sinus problems. Then came The Style Council who have had a top 20 hit or two. Over the course of a quarter decade, and having continued solo, Paul Weller has unabatedly written about innocence--lost, regained or absent. This time he hits the mark and with a supernova normally reserved for folk/guitar-dubbed-vocals artists.
Having just obtained my import copy of Illumination (USA release date is still unknown) from Amoeba Records, I popped-in the disk in my player and proceeded east on Haight. Every song underlines a phrase purposefully erased from one's memory for failure of having it resolved. The is the innocence that many failed to see on this quasi-dramatic stretch in San Francisco due to their drug-fogged eyes. Weller speaks a similar story on title track, a slow and coming of age incision-painful ballad, "I'm in a moving film/ it's black and white/ and beautiful/ and it has no end to write"--backing choir alone should take you down a Carmina Burana-type memory lane.
Impeccably produced by Weller himself, and not shying from tricks borrowed from that 0's and 1' realm, it starts where his eponymous debut was headed ('Going Places', a song to impress your dinner guest and 'A Bullet for Everyone', which could have easily been Morrison Hotel's opener). Stereophonic's Kelly Jones sounds better than she ever has on duet 'Call Me No. 5', for which she penned the words, recalling wild west themes riding seventies Brit-rock waves ("I was holding up a drug store/ my gun was soaking wet" atop Weller-arranged early-blues-meet-rock piano trills.)
Weller seems to have found a cure for his nasal congestion. That along with Carleen Anderson and Jocelyn Brown's backing chorus makes for some of the best medley mood songs, especially when a string section is added ('Standing Out in the Universe' and 'Leafy Mysteries').
Noonday Underground's Simon Dine inserts his 'London' touch by writing music to cigar bar opus 'It's Written in the Stars' and love/make-up tune 'Now the Night is Here'. Multi-instrumentalist Noel Gallagher provides bass and percussion, while ex-Oasis bassist Gem Archer gives a warming performance of acoustic guitar on 'One X One'--a dreamy-toned ballad of magnanimous amplitude. (Q: what's connects Oasis and Paul Weller? A: their drummers are brothers.)
Unarguably Weller's best work, The Jam's notwithstanding, it serves to prove that some musicians age with grace. He and Bob Geldof make the case for why some musicians should not stop because there are always higher-crested waves, and why Stonesian others should halt while they're on top.<P...

Would you like this if it weren't by Weller? Nope.

...P>Anyway, as for "Illumination," here goes:
1. Going Places: A better-than-OK acoustic track that goes on way too long.
2. A Bullet For Everyone: A horrible, basic rocker. Perfect B-side material, and I don't mean that in a nice way.
3. Leafy Mysteries: A classic Weller track, one that'll sit alongside "Out of the Sinking" in the "Essential Weller" department.
4. It's Written in the Stars: On odd song with horn sampling, but not bad. It'll grow on you as it has on me. A bit like St.-Etiene meets Traffic.
5. One X One: An OK acoustic track. Very basic.
6. All Good Books: Rubbish. A dragging acoustic track that does not distinguish itself.
7. Illumination: Another dragging, boring acoustic track.
8. Call Me No. 5: The CD's second attempt at pub rock is another failure. Far too basic. The fact that Paul Weller is singing a basic three-chord, sluggish rock song does not make it good.
9. Bag Man: Very nice indeed. Finally an acoustic song that stands out. Wonderful chord changes.
10. Standing Out in the Universe: This one's OK. If you're forgiving enough, you'll like it. It starts off all dramatic and cool but then drags on for decades. Then the screaming women in the background get to work.
11. Who Brings Joy: Yet another basic acoustic track. Weller's voice does it no justice -- assuming it deserves justice. I am not anti-acoustic songs; these are just very boring.
12. Now the Night is Here: I've had this CD for a week and I have no idea how this song goes. Let that be a hint.
13. Spring (At Last): Harmless instrumental with Indian motifs. Would have made a great B-side.

To sum up, if you must have all things Weller, get this. If you're a casual fan, wait for it to go on sale. If you're merely considering getting into Weller's stuff, buy "Modern Classics." Skip this for now. It might turn you off.