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22 Dreams Review From The New Zealand Herald!

Paul Weller
22 Dreams
Rating: * * * * *

As he hits his 50th year with eight solo albums already under his belt, as well as a further dozen in his time as the frontman of The Jam and Style Council, Paul Weller could be excused for taking it easy.

After all, he'll forever remembered as the guy who swung from the anger of Eton Rifles to the languor of Long Hot Summer within a few confusing years.

His solo albums - save for Wild Wood and Stanley Road - have become increasingly interchangeable. Solid efforts but hard to take to heart, even if you're a long-time follower of Britrock's modfather.

But then along comes 22 Dreams.

If the only surprise with past Weller solo albums was which one of him was going to turn up first or most - folkWeller, soulWeller, or rockWeller - then this one confounds expectations. They all front up but so do a couple of other Wellerfellas, on a free-ranging double-album of multiple genres and personalities.

But somehow - though sheer energy and some robust songs interspersed among the experimental bits- this holds up.

After the strident folk-rock opener Light Nights, Weller is off on his own magical mystery tour.

Soon he's channeling Marvin Gaye on Empty Ring, talking to the man upstairs on the spoken- word God, and getting melancholy on the keyboard on the Costelloesque ballad Invisible.

The indulgence this all craves is offset by a momentum frequently given a nudge by the rock sparks of the title track, as well as Push it Along and the Oasis-assisted Echoes Around the Sun.

It's a long perplexing album from a guy seemingly tired of his own predictability. But it's still a dream run.

Russell Baillie
New Zealand Herald

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Album Preview: Paul Weller Recruits Noel Gallagher, Thunderstorms to Share His “22 Dreams” “You get to this stage in life where you say ‘I’ve done everything that I can do,’” says Paul Weller. As he passes the half-century mark, Weller easily could have returned to his old stomping grounds, whether it was the mod-punk of his first band the Jam or the pop leanings of the Style Council. But rather than reliving past glory, Weller spent the last year recording 22 Dreams, the most expansive and experimental album of his career. “I was conscious when I walked into the studio that I wanted to do something different. I didn’t want to make As Is Now Part 2,” Weller tells Rock Daily. “There was this mentality where it was like, ‘Let’s try anything that comes into your mind.’” Weller sequestered himself in his country studio, recruited some famous Britpop friends like Oasis‘ Noel Gallagher and Blur’s Graham Coxon and spent hours improvising with his band. The result was 22 Dreams, a genre-leapin