Review: Paul Weller - 'Starlite'

At a time when rumours are rife of David Bowie never setting foot in a recording studio ever again, we learn that Paul Weller has been putting the finishing touches to his next album. Both had a huge impact on the music business spanning two decades over the Seventies and Eighties – Paul with his first band, The Jam, and Bowie with the ever changing reinventions of himself which embraced a wide range of musical genres.

In 2011, neither holds a dominant presence on the charts anymore, but one is certainly more active than the other and still has that fire in his belly – the one known as the Modfather. It is now Paul who is challenging himself with ventures into different musical styles and, although he’s unlikely to appear on stage looking anything like Ziggy Stardust anytime soon, his recent music is just as colourful in character.

Paul Weller’s journey as a solo artist has been a bumpy ride. His first four records make up some of his finest work. Self titled ‘Paul Weller’, ‘Wild Wood’, ‘Stanley Road’ and ‘Heavy Soul’ have stood the test of time and his setlists still draw heavily from these albums. That spark seemed to burn out for a brief period in the 00’s as the quality of his output dropped below a standard that he’d set for himself.

Whilst ‘Heliocentric‘ produced two great songs – ‘He’s The Keeper’ and ‘Sweet Pea, My Sweet Pea’, and ‘Illumination‘ delivered us ‘One X One’, he appeared to have hit a brick wall with his songwriting as the albums were far more filler than killer. Yet it was in 2005, just a few years shy of his 50^th birthday, when Paul Weller’s career experienced a renaissance in fortunes.

‘As Is Now‘ hinted at a return to form and the two subsequent releases – the double album ‘22 Dreams‘ and the more recent ‘Wake Up The Nation‘ have proven him to be one of the most creative and forward thinking artists in music today. He is not afraid to dip his toes into unfamiliar water, and new track ‘Starlite’ is another example of Paul’s nonconforming approach to his career.

Now rightly back on his comfortable pedestal having won back the hearts of fans and critics alike in recent years, Paul is likely to push himself even further. ‘Starlite’ is evidence of his continued desire to experiment and take risks with his music – but does it pay off this time? Well, by the skin of his teeth. This is likely to divide fans right down the middle. Balearic beats and an atmospheric mood fused with mild psychedelia and sugar sweet production make this much more a dance track and far removed from the ‘dad rock’ tag with which he’s often wrongly labelled.

The first 25 seconds could have any Weller fan a bit worried with its surprising new direction in sound. At this point the melody kicks in and any reservations are put to rest with a delightful looped piano riff and an impressive yet subtle chorus. Its mid tempo pace and less aggressive approach than ‘Wake Up The Nation‘ make this song far more inhibited in nature, but awash with up-tempo melodies. The guitars are buried deep in the mix and play second fiddle to the beats and piano which drive the track forward.

This may not be as immediate as some of his recent offerings, and it’s certainly not going to be a hit – nor is it intended to be. Fans who don’t give the time of day to anything other than ‘Stanley Road’ will probably hate it. Those who appreciated ’22 Dreams’ will find ‘Starlite’ to be far more rewarding than a rock-anthem-by-numbers tune that some may expect.

That’s not to say that this is anything outstanding – far from it. Paul has set himself a benchmark with his last three albums and it will be difficult to keep hitting the back of the net every time. ‘Starlite’ is Paul Weller experimenting and getting away with it – just. The added charm of the piano is one of its saving graces, as is Paul’s vocal which fits the mood and tempo of the track perfectly.

Love it or hate it there’s no denying that he still is the changing man.