Each Sunday of late, the year-old has been showcasing his new material and look with a series of home-made acoustic sessions , direct from Weller HQ. Weller, like his heroes The Beatles and David Bowie before him, is usually in a constant state of motion. But his third album in four years not including the Jawbone film soundtrack or his recent foray into field recording finds him, like many of us right now, pausing for thought, at least.
The album also finds him back on Polydor - the record label that famously rejected the final offering from his '80s pop band The Style Council, bringing an end to that chapter of his career.
Modernism: A New Decade; their deep house record, without a six-string guitar within earshot, ultimately didn't see the light of day in full until nine years later, when the whole world was by then dancing to an electronic beat. The passage of three decades, it seems, has left Weller harbouring "no ill feelings" about the decision, as, he points out, "the whole business is different" now.
This time around, his LP was submitted and approved by both the label and, it appears, the critics. The Guardian gave it four stars, describing Weller's sound as "warm, wise and still capable of surprise". The same score was awarded by The Times , who declared "the Modfather goes hippy dippy". Meanwhile, The Independent also went for four stars, with Mark Beaumont writing that On Sunset "brilliantly merges this new interest in the avant garde with his ever-changing future soul mood".
You would give him a present and you could see him look at it and he would say, 'The buttons aren't right, are they? Looks have always been important to him, but he'll be 50 next year. And now it's his turn to be similarly ridiculed by others.
Hewitt will not reveal why he fell out with Weller in February , although he admits they had a difference of opinion. They have not spoken since. When you go into the music business you are allowed to get away with everything. It might be happy Paul, angry Paul, depressed Paul. It made him a minefield to negotiate. Friendship with Paul was a double-edged sword.
ES Money. The Escapist. The Reveller. The Optimist. ES Best. ES Mag. Follow us:. In spite of everything happening in the world that has created many uncertainties, Paul Weller feels fortunate and contented. While the unwelcome arrival of the coronavirus pandemic may have scratched out his latest round of UK gigs, he has instead been squirrelling himself away in his beloved Surrey studio, Black Barn, to lay down new material.
Paul has enjoyed being locked-down in his studio in Ripley - Credit: Archant. Beyond music, family is clearly a major priority, and he seems pleased at least two of his eight children including daughter Leah have shown real musical ability. Lead single, Earth Beat, offers a lush slice of soul pop, which is swiftly followed by Village, which neatly sums up its optimistic spirit that seems refreshingly relaxed amid these complex, challenging times.
So am I contented? His previous recordings have featured a careful sprinkling of notable guests down the years, and his latest follows in this pattern. Connecting with pieces of the past clearly informed his choice of record label, Polydor, for whom he had his first taste of success alongside Bruce Foxton and Rick Buckler as fresh-faced mod revivalists The Jam.
Discussing yesteryear brings us on to the subject of another key anniversary in
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