Paul Weller
Paul Weller (Go! Discs 828 343)

Having recently departed the Style Council, which were his departure from the Jam (and he's had more "departures" here than the average Journey section at a used record store), Paul Weller left the slick Euro sound behind for a throwback to older R&B sounds on his self-titled debut.

Paul Weller kicks it in gear BIG time with "Uh Huh Oh Yeh," which presents an interesting mish-mosh of soul grooves and paper-thin horn hits that pick you up and never let you go. It's a great mood setter, and highly recommended for homemade mix collections. "I Didn't Mean To Hurt You" continues the 70s white soul groove that I like a lot more in 2001 than I did in 1992. Yet another great job at setting a sonic mood. "Bull-Rush" comes charging in with the 3rd consecutive kicking groove of the album … by the way, even better is the live version that segues to The Who classic "Magic Bus." No matter which one you hear, "Bull-Rush" is a cool tune.

Now, it's time to get Marvin Gaye floaty on "Round and Round," which also has a bit of a Swing Out Sister feel thrown in for good measure. Still thumbs up so far& #133; the sound of the monophonic 70s keyboard sounds the alarm: "Remember How We Started" is here. Lenny Kravitz has taken grooves similar to this with varying degrees of success, but here, it's very nice. "Above The Clouds" conjures up the aforementioned spirit of Marvin Gaye. This album is definitely driven by feel, and feel good it does. It's like Weller feels free of the shackles of The Jam and The Style Council, and the freedom translates beautifully.

"Clues" is a little on the long side, but keeps the batting average up as we hit the seventh slot on the CD. "Into Tomorrow" brings the "Weller Style" sound around for another look; it's a very strong song. "Amongst Butterflies" continues the 70s pastiche vein as the album draws near its close. "The Strange Museum," which dates from earlier in Weller's career, is really not a favorite of mine, but it's not out of place here, and still holds up. "Bitterness Rising" takes an acoustic start to new heights and maintains flow solidly, thouugh it's followed by the inexplicable "Kosmos," which contains a few parts that take their place alongside some of the oddities that graced the self-titled solo debut of Weller's hero Paul McCartney, but this one clocks in at a much more ludicrous 11:57.

All songs of potential Yes-length aside, Paul Weller makes a very strong debut, still worth listening to nearly a decade later. A nice tablesetter for a relatively brilliant solo career.

Loud Bassoon rating scale

Review by Casey Blick