Paul Weller preview

Paul Weller
House Of Blues, Chicago
Tuesday, September 16, 2008

God knows if Paul Weller understood his Britishness would inhibit his career so. With his ninth solo album, 22 Dreams (Yep Roc), he rubs it in like he doesn’t give a damn.

As if his 12 years fronting The Jam and The Style Council weren’t ignored enough, Weller has been solo for 18 years, releasing a new record roughly every other one of those, with minimal impact in North America. At home in the U.K., however, he has gone No. 1 three times solo (five overall) including 22. Call it The Kinks’ Curse, something that stretches through to Blur and Arctic Monkeys.

But this release, a double-album, makes a game of it. Guests include members of Oasis (Noel Gallagher), The Stone Roses (Aziz Ibrahim), and Ocean Colour Scene (Steve Cradock), nearly a who’s who of ’90s giants — like footballer Peter Shilton hobnobbing with Paul Gascoigne, Alan Shearer, and David Platt. That’s not even counting Blur’s Graham Coxon, who rejoins Weller on “Black River,” reprising their collaboration on last year’s “This Old Town” single.

Before we lose you, 22‘s ambition does not sabotage it. Bathed in blue-eyed soul and proggy folk, Weller has relented somewhat on his tube-station rants and located a relaxed, naturalist songwriter within. It’ll probably win scads of Grammys.

The Rifles open.

— Steve Forstneger

Category: Stage Buzz, Weekly