PAUL WELLER
22 Dreams
(Island/Yep Roc)
By Todd Lavoie
The buzz-buzz-buzz in eardrums and across the pages of blogs and music rags hither and yon is all about Paul as of late – no shock there, if you’ve had the good fortune to hear the Modfather’s expansive (and reputation-expanding) 21-track epic, 22 Dreams.
Plenty of garlanded praise and eyebrow-raising declarations have been lavished upon Weller since the album’s initial release in Britain at the beginning of June, thus piquing the curiosity of American folks like me who have always enjoyed the vocalist’s solo work but had felt a little less spark for his recent output (and were shy of paying a hefty import-only CD price tag – crossing fingers for an eventual stateside release).
There was something almost rigidly straightforward about much of 2005’s As Is Now (Yep Roc), for example – solid as it was, it offered relatively few shocks. Similar critiques had been offered now and again throughout his solo career, truth be told – surely the downside of his having set such a high standard for himself with the unimpeachable catalogs of the Jam and the Style Council prior to going at it alone. As Is Now made for a good listen, but it felt like it was missing something. Adventure? Drama? The element of surprise, perhaps?