Sunday, September 7, 2008

Paul Weller - 22 Dreams [2008]


"The beauty of 22 DREAMS"

Ever since going solo in the early 1990s, Paul Weller has pulled consistently further away from his mod-rock origins toward an organic singer/songwriter sound, and 22 DREAMS finds him bringing that process as close to perfection as one could reasonably expect.

Sure, the soul influences that have always been at his core are still present, and there are some undeniable rockers here, but from the piano ballad "Invisible" to the flowing folk-rock balladry of "Why Walk When You Can Run" Weller seems bent on fulfilling his destiny as the heir to the Van Morrison throne.

And if the six-minute atmospheric instrumental "Night Lights" doesn't convince you that Weller's all about setting a mood on 22 DREAMS, nothing will.

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