Here is the point where I stopped buying Weller’s albums on vinyl, or any other format.  OK I’d only bought the last one and this one on vinyl but once again this is very lacklustre stuff, and that’s being really kind to it. Albums these days aren’t cheap and I’m not gonna keep shelling out for endless half arsed records when I can “try before I buy” at any number of streaming sites these days. 

Again, reading through the track list I couldn’t mentally put a tune to any of them, which probably says more about how little I’ve played it. Bizarrely there is a track on here titled “Bowie” (an absolute dull-fest BTW). I always thought bits of Weller’s “Sonic Kicks” (probably the last album of his that I liked…2012 if you’d forgotten the timeline) had something of Bowie’s Berlin period about it. Add that to “Nova” from yesterdays “A Kind Revolution” which sounds like a Bowie outtake (Deb thought it was the great man when I played it to her!) and there is the feel of some of Bowie’s affected vocals about some of Weller’s singing (although I must add one of my other difficulties with Weller these days is I really don’t like what his voice has become). It appears Weller has developed a later in life appreciation of the Dame. And Tim Hardin too it seems as the following “Wishing Well” is a very poorly disguised rewrite of Tim’s “Black Sheep Boy” (which Weller has covered in the past FFS!).

“True Meanings” though strikes me as Paul Weller attempting to make a Nick Drake album. It’s acoustic in nature and suffers from two distinct disadvantages when set next to what it aims to be…the songs aren’t even close to as good as Nick Drakes and Weller isn’t as good or interesting a guitar player. I’ll leave it there. I should just get hold of copies of his first 3 solo records and forget the future ones.

I am also very aware that back in January 2023 when I announced that I was going to embark on this 2023 (now 2024) Albums Thing that I said “Be forewarned, there will be no bad write ups, it's my collection and I don't buy records I don't like !“ and I am certain that the past two entries may be considered bad write ups. Not so, let’s consider them being my expressing my disappointment in someone who I wish (and believe) could do much better…OK ?

The whole album can be found here

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kbT3nTndXmyuDZOkOR-A0RJzWt3VJyids&si=8adeFrT6Y91CAKDK 

pick a track yourself, they’re all much of a muchness…