Paul Weller - Illumination
(Yep Roc)
Funny chap, this Paul Weller. He dissolves the greatest British band of all time (that would be The Jam) to form a loungeful soul revue (that would be Style Council) and then decides he's better off on his own and starts making solo records (that would be Paul Weller). His Midas touch continues throughout his multiple careers in the UK, where nearly every release screams up the charts. (In fact, I'm writing this on the 20th anniversary of the greatest chart accomplishment of all time - something even The Beatles never achieved: upon the announcement that he was breaking up The Jam, all 17 of their singles were reissued. Thirteen of them made it into the Top 75, a feat which has never been duplicated.)
Meanwhile, over here in America, he couldn't get arrested and has to cancel several mini tours due to poor ticket sales. Like a younger version of Ray Davies (whose songs he has covered), his charm and appeal is an utterly British taste that Americans will likely never acquire. Which is a shame, because he has quietly, yet steadily released some of the catchiest, soulful, well crafted pop of the last decade (this is his ninth solo release, including live and greatest hits packages, and he's got at least a couple of album's worth of bonus material spread across many EPs). Unlike Stevie Winwood or Peter Gabriel, artists who had more success on these shores as solo performers, Weller's US releases seem destined for the cutout bins, left to rot alongside the equally brilliant solo work of Anglophobes Graham Parker, Julian Cope, John Cale, etc. So while people fall all over themselves to buy the latest elevator music from Phil Collins or bachelor pad Muzak from Holiday Inn reject, Elvis Costello, Weller, et al are floundering in a sea of anonymity. Hopefully (but doubtfully), Illumination will change all that.
"Going Places" grabs your toes and won't stop tapping until it's done, one of those quietly charming singles that folks like Michael ("Wildflower") Murphy and Endland Dan and John Ford Coley released to great acclaim back in the 70s. The rocking "A Bullet for Everyone" marries an Elvis Costello-like vitriolic delivery with a heavy, glammy backbeat (think "Spirit in the Sky"), which uses Paul's backing band, including Steve Cradock (guitar) and Damon Minchella (bass) from Ocean Colour Scene and longtime drummer Steve White (brother of Oasis drummer, Alan) to good effect.
The horn loop that kicks off "It's Written In The Stars" lets us know we're in for a heavy dose of Northern Soul, right down to the Booker T. organ rides. "All Good Books" combines religion AND soul for a smooth, Harold Melvin-meets-Curtis Mayfield groove, and "Who Brings Joy," "Bag Man," the title track, and "Now the Night Is Here" are teary-eyed ballads that Weller drops in to all his records, while "Spring (At Last)" offers a short, mellow instrumental break and features Aziz Ibrahim on sarod and tamboura.
Noel Gallagher has never hidden the mentoring role Weller has played in his career, and pays him back with interest as often as possible. Here he (along with new Oasis guitarist Gem Archer) drops by to play drums and bass on "One X One," which admittedly would have slipped through the cracks unnoticed were it not for their participation.
The kids just love Weller, and Stereophonics' vocalist Kelly Jones co-writes and duets with Paul on the bluesy "Call Me No. 5" - think John Lee Hooker with a chip on his shoulder. "Standing Out in the Universe" opens with a riff reminiscent of Thunderclap Newman's "Something In The Air" and then deteriorates downhill into a mediocre, "soul song with a message" complete with wailing background banshees (Carleen Anderson, Jocelyn Brown) that threaten to turn it into one of those dreadful late-period T. Rex nightmares. Ugh!
The US release appends three "bonus tracks," the best of which is the ripping yarn, "Talisman" the hardest hitting, rockingest (read "best") track on the record, although the childlike, catchy, pop of the Donovanesque whimsy that is "Push Button, Automatic" is a bit of fun.
So while it's unlikely to gain many new fans (a shame), Illumination is Weller's best solo release, went all the way to #1 in the UK, and is the perfect place for the curious to start learning the music of one of the finest songwriters of his generation.
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