Paul Weller "a kind revolution"

[CRAZY-HORSE]

PAUL WELLER "a kind revolution"

thirteenth solo set from the ex Jam/Style Councillor who is celebrating his fortieth
year as a recording artist this year...
had no idea what to expect after the experimental efforts from his last two albums...
no sonic sounds or studio trickery on this one whatsoever, just real songs...
album was recorded on and off over the last two years, quite a long time for a Weller album...
album starts off by paying homage to Dr John, one of his idols, with a beaty Cajun rocker (Woo Sé Mama)...
"nova" has an almost Bowie-esque quality to it...
"long long road" sees him delving back into his 'blue eyed soul' period...
then to turn things on its head he brings Robert Wyatt out of retirement to play horns and backing vocals on
the jazzy sounding "she moves with fayre"...
so, four totally diferent sounding tracks out of four so far and it doesn't stop there...
we then move on to "the cranes are back" which, as Weller describes in a recent interview was inspired by cranes (the birds)
he saw in a documentary that when they arrive somewhere the locals know it will be a bumper year for them, he then turns that one
on its head with cranes (the machines) are back on London's skyline meaning there is wealth and prosperity once again in the city,
its a song of hope and my favourite one on the album as it builds to an almost gospel crescendo...
"hopper" starts off almost folky before the horns kick in again, that one is a nod to American painter Edward Hopper...
"New York" is a tribute to his wife, strange really, because I thought she was English????...
"one tear" salutes the 'house dance' craze of the late 1980s, and one that Weller experimented with on the final Style Council album
that Polydor refused to release, thus ending the band, Boy George supplies guest vocals on this six ad a half minute dance track,
its probably my least favourite on here...
"satellite kid" deals with immigration and people from different cultures to his, a satellite town in England is the name given to big towns
on the outskirts of London, thus, coming from Woking,Surrey, he is a satellite kid, this one has an almost bluesy feel happening..
and finally we have "the impossible idea" which basically says you cannot change the world, only yourself, I guess he is growing old gracefully
now as he once thought music could change the world...
all up, not a bad album, not great, but way better than his last two or three efforts..
and as he is approaching 60 years of age he shows no sign of slowing down as the next album is already underway...

from the album, my favourite track:

[video=youtube;yTt1MjGDbPg]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTt1MjGDbPg[/video]

[CRAZY-HORSE]

if anyone is interested here's an interview with Weller discussing the making of the album:

[video=youtube;MJUHNF3cQyQ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJUHNF3cQyQ[/video]

[Ruby]

Thanks for the comprehensive review CH. Must listen to the album.
I like the wordplay on the cover.

[CRAZY-HORSE]

thanks for the praise Ruby, appreciate it girl!
unlike you, I can only write proper reviews for artists I know indepth...
like I posted, its not bad but it is no "Stanley road" or "wild wood"...
is just good to hear him making something half decent though...

[Music Head]

excellent review CH
wish I still had the ambition to put into it
not the fan as you are of Mr. Weller
best for me is his Bowie sounding vocals
but this is a good album
much better than the last as I recall

fav

[video=youtube;kG00EZY3Ym0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kG00EZY3Ym0[/video]

[CRAZY-HORSE]

im surprised you liked the album mate....
thought you might have liked probably half of it though...
now,
you need to go back and listen to "wild wood" on Spotify as a personal favour to me.

[Music Head]

im surprised you liked the album mate....
thought you might have liked probably half of it though...
now,
you need to go back and listen to "wild wood" on Spotify as a personal favour to me.

I did it
assuming by the request that you think this is his best album
ever hear one of them artists where you think "why does my friend like this?"
that's where I'm at mate
sorry

[CRAZY-HORSE]

you are correct Sir,
along with Stanley Road (which you posted you really liked), I rate Wild Wood as his best most complete albums, no filler, pure class...

ever hear one of them artists where you think "why does my friend not like this?"...LMAO
oh well, each to their own I guess.