As Is Now

by

Paul Weller

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That Paul Weller is extremely talented is not news, whether you caught up with him back in The Jam days, around the time of Style Council, or since he chose to go at it solo, that has been made abundantly clear.

At every stage, his singing -part gutsy rocker, part blue-eyed Soul "heart in his sleeve"- has offered songs to remember and, at times, albums that hit the mark from beginning to end. I'm thinking here of the romantic grit of "Wild Wood" -his solo best in my opinion- or the fury and passion of "Stanley Road" or the acoustic showstopping versions in "Days Of Speed."

Still, when you look at his extensive discography, particularly since the Style Council, you may find that the list of great albums is short. Of course, you can always find some great tracks -"Heliocentric," "Illumination" or "Heavy Wood" had them- but the memorable always has found an equal counterpart in the forgettable.

This album is, without a doubt, a solid effort, akin to "Illumination" in tone and sound, but also willing to reach back and offer some of the raw energy and heartfelt confessionals of older recordings. "Blink," "Come On/Let's Go" and "From The Floorboards Up" are strong numbers showing Weller can still play hard, and some ballads -"The Start Of Forever," "Roll Along Summer" and "Savages"- prove, without reservations, that he still has a stirring voice.

So, again, this is a solid album, not a classic. If you are looking for more of what Weller had to give in the past, you'll find some new favorites, If you are looking for something that stretches the boundaries of what he's done before, you may be a bit disappointed.

Im a big weller fan and supporter and have been along for the whole ride- and by track three on this album i thought wow- really well done Sir Weller(its bound to happen). But then came the tired "heres the good news" which sent this album into a spiral. ALL the energy sapped out in a set of songs with the same dry lazy vocal and the same production chords and bland lyrics. And From The floorboards up despite its little burst of old "jamlike spunk" is quite simply a dud- i really dont know how people could like this silly song that sounds like a knack bside. Lyrically and production wise the modfather is suffering- its the same old thing- wetten those vocals alittle bit- weller has a fine voice but he sings all the acoustic numbers dry with no real character yeah its earthy but thats not really wellers strength(wildwood got it right). And whats with the baby's mamas and other cliche old dog tricks. This being said atleast five songs are excellent- blink- paper smile-cmon lets go- roll along summer and the stunning pebble and the boy rank among pauls best solo works. Pebble is pure style council(confessions era) recorded right with a very morose feel- something weller doesnt do to often- and blink is just the biz- great hook great lyric- perfect weller. These 5 songs saved this from being wellers worst record in years in my opinion. At 47-48 years old i guess weller has found a formula he can rely on- i prefer when he was the changing man!!! Still love you Weller and ill be there in line when the new one comes out- i just hope its a step up!