The new Paul Weller record is a strange beast. On Sunset, out tomorrow, is largely successful, even if the schizophrenic nature of the entire project will likely earn this one some scattershot reviews. I liked enough of it to recommend it, hence this review, while acknowledging that lots of the tracks are too long, and the bonus cuts add little to the overall package.
"Mirror Ball" is a lengthy reminder of why this guy gets credited (and blamed) for creating the blueprint for Britpop, even as "Baptiste" squanders a good chorus in the service of the sort of thing that Phi Collins would have attempted in the Nineties. Elsewhere, after a few more lackluster numbers, the title cut rears its head. Not entirely bad, the number has a nice languid charm, and recalls the better brand of Brit rock that maybe Winwood and Van the Man would have created in earlier ages. Of course saying that is to acknowledge how many light-years removed this is from anything Weller crafted with The Jam or The Style Council.
Still, it's unfair to judge On Sunset only in comparison to the classics in his back-catalog. But, even taken on its own, it's not entirely engrossing. And while "Equanimity" has real appeal, like something from Ocean Colour Scene (Steve Craddock is on this album), it sticks out like a sore thumb when sat next to some nondescript tracks. "Walkin'" is lovely, while "Earth Beat" recalls late period Style Council just enough to warm this fan's old heart. And despite the presence of some unnecessary bonus cuts, On Sunset ends with "Rockets", the Modfather's attempt to write "To The End". To hear this legend ape acts he's inspired isn't entirely as depressing as it sounds because, frankly, at least the cuts that are like this don't meander, and one can imagine that some of these selections were penned in Weller's solo heyday back in the mid-Nineties.
On Sunset is out tomorrow.
More details on Paul Weller via the official website.
[Photo: PaulWeller.com]