Paul Weller - On Sunset
The man known as the Mod Father is back with this his fifteenth solo album in this his sixty second year, some thirty eight years now after The Jam split up!
It was released earlier this month (July) and is already a number one album and with it, it has received much critical acclaim with an abundance of five star reviews from the British and global music press. In the process Mr Paul Weller has now joined an extremely elite band of artists to have topped the UK album chart spanning across five decades, joining only John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Well now that really is quite some achievement isn’t it? Talk about keeping distinguished company.
So is he back with a bang or a whimper?
On Sunset is overall a very mellow sounding album, maybe a reflection of a man in his elder years calming down a bit from the one that once had so much angst and aggression in his lyrics and music.
Three of the tracks including the excellent More run close to a seven minute running time. Indeed the stunning opening track Mirror Ball runs for almost eight minutes and it’s so damn good so that’s just fine, it’s like three songs rolled into one. Wow! What a great production?
Weller is surrounded by some quite brilliant musicians and their talent shines very bright indeed throughout this recording. Their musicianship really is quite magnificent.
One of the songs to be released as a single already from the album is, Village. This is also a standout feel good track about contentment, about being happy with where you are and with what you have, “not a thing I’d change if I could, I’m happy here in my neighbourhood”. It’s almost as if it has been written about these current times! Maybe he has a crystal ball stored in a cupboard somewhere at chez Weller? It has a really uplifting happy vibe to it. It’s a real ‘could be anywhere moment’ when you’re listening to it.
Equanimity features Slade’s Jim Lea on violin following, a personal request from Weller who wanted him to play the instrument in the same style as he did on Slade’s Coz I Luv U back in 1971, it works and it’s extremely nostalgic. Apparently he was a big fan of the band back in their heyday, admiring them as a real lad’s band of skinheads and suede heads alike, who mainly listened to black music, they were one of the few groups that he loved from that time.
Earth Beat features the vocals of London based R&B singer Col3trane. I love the mesmerising strings and jazzy flutes on some of the tracks and in particular on this one
I have to be honest and say that initially I found the album to be a bit boring to start off with, but like the best albums that stand the test of time, it’s a real grower. It’s easy isn’t it, when a musician of Weller’s calibre releases something new, to say that everything that they make is amazing, remarkable, and spectacular or their best album to date, but this really is very, very good indeed. The more that you listen to it, the more you get hooked into its grooves.
He already has a quite brilliant back catalogue that he has blessed us with and I am sure that his musical legacy will stand the test of time and shine bright for many years to come and most certainly some of the tracks from the current recording will 100% make into his best works when all is said and done.
On Sunset is most definitely a loud BANG, Weller very clearly doesn’t do whimpers!
Roll on next spring when the man himself comes to our fine city.
Paul Weller plays the UEA on the 5th of March, 2021 and I can’t wait for what promises to be a very special evening.
