Paul Weller has reinvented himself many times before. This time he says bye-bye to Dad Rock, the style of well-crafted, mild mannered rock for mature listeners he shaped with ‘Stanley Road’.
Weller’s turning 50 this year and ‘22 Dreams’ is a bit like a compendium of the different styles that inspired him over the years. That’s mainly Jazz, Funk, Soul and that particular kind of Georgie Fame style Rhythm and Blues that fuelled the original Mod scene. You also get a bit of Folk.
Musically, ‘22 Dreams’ offers a much wider horizon than any Weller album since 1995’s ‘Stanley Road’. The playing is largely fresh and only on occasion you’ll hear the odd echo of Dad Rock mannerisms, like putting too much emphasis on guitar workmanship. Weller’s voice sounds best when he does not strain too much.
The difference shows if you compare the title track ‘22 Dreams’, a tight R&B with crisp guitar work and nice organ, with ‘All I Wanna Do (Is Be With You)’, another R&B style number but to my ears much more cliched. ‘22 Dreams’ has attitude and style, while ‘All I Wanna Do’ is closer to the kind of Blues-by-numbers rock that pub bands produce with Weller taking on a not so convincing blues shouter tone.
Weller’s best vocal performances are arguably the ballad ‘Invisible’ and the reflective ‘Why Walk When You Can Run’. With both volume and tempo down low, Weller’s voice sounds relaxed and stronger than on the more frantic numbers.
There are a few groove nuggets on ‘22 Dreams’ as well. Check out the Mod stomper ‘Have You Made Up Your Mind’ or the space funk of ‘Echoes Round The Sun’, which features Oasis’ Noel Gallagher on piano and bass.
‘22 Dreams’ is an ambitious piece of work. It features some classic Weller songwriting, a few sonic experiments and a good deal of plain blues rock. It doesn’t come together for me as an album, but there’s enough material here to keep me interested.
Listen Here to ‘22 Dreams’ and download the album from iTunes.
We say: 
