Paul Weller
22 Songs

By Jeff Ehrbar

One thing about 22 Songs is that it’s not boring. On his ninth solo album, Paul Weller (the former front man of legendary ’70s new wavers the Jam and ’80s acid jazzers the Style Council) is all over the place. Along with the usual rock and soul influences, Weller rapidly jumps from druid folk to celestial orchestration to ballroom number at a dizzying pace. In this onslaught of music — 22 Songs clocks in at over an hour — Weller does best on soul-tinged rock numbers. Many of these songs are the best Weller has done in a long time — far better than 2005’s As Is Now.

Several of the better tracks on 22 Songs would have been at home on 1960s AM radio. “Push It Along” devolves from a Stones rocker into the bubblegum pop of Three Dog Night, while “Cold, Cold Moments” evokes the laid back, Pacific Coast Highway feel of a Hal David/Burt Bacharach composition. The elaborate and luscious string arrangements on “Empty Ring” recall the work of ’60s crooner Johnny Rivers.

Other offerings would have fit right in on ’70s FM radio. “A Dream Reprise” steals the guitar lines from the James Gang’s “Funk 49,” segueing into the feedback-drenched “Echo Around the Sun.” Two of the best songs on the album — “All I Want to Do” and “Have You Made Up Your Mind” — succeed on a forceful ’70s soul/rock sound, much in the style of Hot Chocolate or the Ohio Players. 
But because of the amount of the material and Weller’s willingness to experiment, some of songs test the listener. Weller’s earnestness on “One Bright Star” just allows it to overcome its obvious exploitation of tango music, and Weller pulls off the melodramatics of the anthem “Where’er Ye Go” by adding a beautiful violin accompaniment.