It's astonishing how Paul Weller carries on making classic album after classic album. Released today, True Meanings is a majestic, varied yet focused record gleaming with mysterious, graceful beauty, every track reflecting a special warmth. Quite simply the best living songwriter on earth. You can listen to the album in full via YouTube below, and if you appreciate the music, go and buy yourself a copy.
Having just won the award for Songwriter Of The Year at the GQ Awards, and played a stunning set at the Bristol Downs Festival earlier this month (reviewed in depth
HERE), the British icon is on a roll. His 14th solo album (and 26th overall) is described as "record unlike any he has ever made before, characterised by grandiose-yet-delicate, lush orchestration: an aesthetic to which Paul’s better-than-ever voice, singing some of his most nakedly honest words, is perfectly suited. It is not “a departure”, in the sense that soul bearing, melancholic songs have always been an important part of what he does: from English Rose, to Brand New Start, right up to The Ballad Of Jimmy McCabe from last year’s Jawbone soundtrack. But never, ever before has he allowed himself an entire album to exhibit this side of his song-writing, or presented them quite like this.The album was recorded in a 3 week period at Paul’s Black Barn Studio, and produced largely by Weller. It was engineered and recorded by Charles Rees and mixed by Jan Stan Kybert. It also features contributions from folk legends Martin Carthy and Danny Thompson, Conor O'Brien, Noel Gallagher and Lucy Rose.
