The British Are Coming
Paul Weller turns fifty, makes more music.
The Modfather, or Paul Weller to the rest of us, turned 50 this year. He also released his ninth solo album , entitled 22 Dreams. I have a fear in life that if I hit the age of 80 I will still be driving a car. The fear is not that I don't think I can drive a car at that age, but that I'll be a burden to others on the road. Many bands/artists have the same problem; they just don't know when to quit and realize their greatest achievements were reached a long time ago. Not the case with Mr. Weller.
22 Dreams was released last week in Britain and shot straight to number one on the album charts. Not bad for a man past the halfway mark. Paul Weller's influence is felt far and wide in today's music. Whether it be the progressive soulful punk of The Jam, the jazz-funk pop of The Style Council, or his solo work starting at the dawn of Brit-pop, Mr. Weller's touch can be felt today.
His latest single, "Echoes Round The Sun" is a tripped out guitar driven groover with Weller tapping into his inner Donovan (at least vocally). Noel Gallagher from Oasis gets his hands dirty, too, playing bass and piano. If this song is any indication, 22 Dreams promises to be as engaging and thought provoking as the man himself.
Posted by Joe Roth on Jun 11, 2008 @ 12:00 am