PAUL WELLER
66 (Polydor)
Seventeen studio albums in 32 years is all the evidence you need to understand the passion, love, and commitment Paul Weller has to his craft. One to rest on past successes he is not: this is a musician unequivocal in his mission to quench his thirst for creativity.
66 is woven together with all the nous and guile you would expect from a Weller record – however, it falls victim to the same criticism some directed at Weller’s previous effort, 2021’s Fat Pop (Volume 1): a slight lack of excitement. There are some wonderful Burt Bacharach-esque orchestral arrangements present, especially on the excellent Rise Up Singing, intertwining beautifully with an album full of beautiful and introspective lyrics. The Noel Gallagher co-written thumper Jumble Queen certainly gets the pulse racing, but this may not be enough for those Weller fans who live and breathe his early punk rock magic.
words ELLIOT OAKLEY