Paul Weller: An Orchestrated Songbook – Splendidly coherent work irishtimes.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from irishtimes.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Itâs not without its merits. On the taut, post-punk opener Cosmic Fringes, he sounds as if heâs channelling Baxter Duryâs sprechgesang with equal parts swagger and menace. The question-and-answer nature of the title trackâs lyrics recall Sammy Davis Jrâs The Candy Man, which is rather at odds with the songâs spacey dub. True, meanwhile, is route-one powerpop, and the closing Still Glides the Stream is a classy slice of stately, reflective chamber pop. Elsewhere, though, too much politely slips beneath the radar: Cobweb/Connections and Shades of Blue are perfectly decent songs, but theyâre also unspectacular. Weller seems incapable of releasing a downright bad album at the moment, but this isnât one of his best.