September 1997

For anyone who has followed Paul Weller’s odd and distinctly illustrious career, his latest album, Heavy Soul, should come as no surprise. It’s a great record, even if the territory is relatively familiar.

Though it employs a somewhat ballsier sound than his prior two solo releases, the elements that have defined Weller’s post-Style Council career are clearly present. The songs are sparsely rendered, thoughtfully-penned and delivered with the trademark Weller voice – easily one of the best in the business.

That he should choose a heavier sound at this belated juncture in his career makes perfect sense. After all, we are dealing with Paul Weller here – and Wellerian history is chockfull of contradictions. As leader of the Jam, he rose to fame as the band rode the crest of the late-seventies punk phenomenon, however, it was the group’s later, more polished R&B-tinged work that actually received the greatest amount of airplay.

In the Style Council, Weller’s music became progressively softer and more refined as his lyrics grew to new heights of hard-edged social commentary. During this phase of his career, Weller let it be known, by no uncertain terms, that all current forms of government should be toppled and replaced with a new international and decidedly Marxist regime. Needless to say, this didn’t do a heck of lot to boost record sales and the band never attained the level of popularity that had been enjoyed by the Jam.

The latest contradiction in the Wellerian saga comes via his most recent work which, as previously mentioned, appears to be getting harder and more raw as the man grows older. Gone are the refined flourishes of the Style Council – they seem to have accompanied Mick Talbot (the Council’s other half) through the exit door. What we have now is, essentially, garage-band Weller.

"It’s harder than anything we’ve done before," says Weller. "It’s more raw. We tried to keep those rough edges. It’s... more live sounding; literally, you can hear there’s a three-piece playing on it. There are very few overdubs."

The trio that Weller refers to is rounded out by long-time partner Steve White on drums, Marco Nelson on bass, and, of course, the master himself on guitar and vocals. In addition to the rough edges of Heavy Soul, the CD is also defined by a loose, eclectic atmosphere. As Weller explains:

"We made [the album] in six or seven different studios. We’d go to a place for four or five days – ten days at the most – so we made it as we went along. Whenever I had a few songs or a few ideas, we’d book a place. It was a different way of working. [It was] not as settled."

The result of this nomadic method of record making is a collection of Wellerian tunes that comes across with an intimate and distinctly live feel. Listening to the CD is sort of like hearing the band in a club where the audience has been bound and gagged, or like attending a private session with the band in a rehearsal studio.

Heavy Soul arrives on the Wellerian map in the wake of a small string of disappointments that the artist experienced over the last year or so, including the dissolution of his prior label, Go! Discs, and the departure of former sidemen guitarist Steve Cradock and bassist Damon Minchella.

Fortunately, the product that has risen from the ashes of these travails is an excellent piece of work that seems to get better on every listen (I’m currently on play number 10 or 12, which is about the time I usually toss a CD under the couch somewhere instead of opting to hear it one more time.) Give Sir Paul a listen; I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.