Fretplay.com Paul Weller CD reviews Paul Weller guitar tabs Paul Weller CD reviews Paul Weller tabs 22 Dreams


Paul Weller - 22 Dreams Audio CD

A fair review of the Paul Weller "22 Dreams" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Paul Weller reviews here, or go back to the Paul Weller tabs.

Paul Weller Band: Paul Weller
Title: 22 Dreams
Rating:
Release Date: 2008-07-22
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Light Nights 2: 22 Dreams 3: All I Wanna Do (Is Be With You) 4: Have You Made Up Your Mind 5: Empty Ring 6: Invisible 7: Song For Alice 8: Cold Moments 9: The Dark Pages of September Lead to the New Leaves of Spring 10: Black River 11: Why Walk When You Can Run 12: Push It Along 13: A Dream Reprise 14: Echoes Round the Sun 15: One Bright Star 16: Lullaby Für Kinder 17: Where er Ye Go 18: God 19: 111 20: Sea Spray 21: Night Lights

Mixed bag
I enjoy them all greatly and listen to them regularly. I own every one of Paul Weller's solo recordings. Except this one. This is a decided mixed bag of work. There are some truly fine cuts but there are a number of throw away numbers and a few failed experiments. Some cuts are either too folky (in a British folk style) or lack the typical Weller punch. Mr. Weller would have done well to have edited it down to a dozen or so dreams rather than the full 22 (21. ) Not an essential recording but it still has it's merits.


I Had 22 Dreams Last Night
The title track is one of my favorite Weller numbers of all time (Jam and Style Council included). The Modfather returns with "22 Dreams" -- an album that captures Weller in variety of moods, interpreting a variety of musical influences. Reviewers invariably find one or two "weak" tracks -- most often, it seems, the spoken word "God" -- but each song on the album casts its own spell. Give them all a chance, resequence them if you need to. Some songs will hit you right away. Others may sneak up on you when you least expect it.

Standout tracks: "22 Dreams," "All I Wanna Do (Is Be With You)", "Have You Made Up Your Mind," "Empty Ring," and "Push It Along. ".


Somehow singing "I had 21 Dreams last night" doesn't have the same punch
Don't let it bother you. Okay, so there are 21 songs, not the expected 22. This is the first disc in a long time that feels like a fully realized album to me. It isn't a concept album--I don't find any common thematic thread musically or lyrically, yet somehow each song rolls perfectly into the next. In particular, the flow from the title track to All I Wanna Do (Is Be with You), to Have You Made up Your Mind? to Empty Ring to Invisible to Song for Alice feels like one unbroken continuum, despite their varied musical styles. Yes, there are a couple of tracks that might have been better left off the disc (for instance God or 111), but somehow they don't bother me as they would on another artist's record. Perhaps it's because I feel like Weller really believes in those tracks. In another musician's hands, they would strike me as pretentious. On 22 Dreams, they just feel like a couple of good ideas that didn't work out. As a long-time Paul Weller fan, I've long since given up on hoping for a return to The Jam's sound. You hear it here and there, but what is great about Weller is that he continues to move forward as a musician long after many other guys would be living off the royalties from their greatest hits boxed sets. .


Weller's Gamble Pays Off
But here on 22 Dreams, Weller proves that he is not afraid to blend genres. While I don't agree with the industry reviewer's assertion that Paul Weller's solo career has not matched the creative heights of his years with The Jam and The Style Council, I do agree that his solo work tended to remain within his stylistic comfort zone.
There is so much to like here and such a diversity of styles, its hard to know where to start showering it with praise, so I will begin with the very first song which assures the listener that this will be no ordinary Paul Weller album. My favorites are Light Nights, with its fine guitar work; the rocking Have You Made Up Your Mind; the soulful Empty Ring; a fine instrumental with Song For Alice; another excellent rocker on Cold Moments; the driving Push It Along, the rocking Echoes Round The Sun; the Latin-tinged One Bright Star; Lullaby Fuer Kinder, an instrumental evocative of Boz Scaggs; the religious introspection of God which really makes one think; and yet another fine rocker with Sea Spray.
That I have chosen so many highlights doesn't mean I don't like the rest. There is something to like about every song!
It is clear that with 22 Dreams Paul Weller's gamble has paid off. He says that this is the kind of record he's always wanted to make and I for one am glad he did. 22 Dreams comes with a mini-booklet containing pictures, album info, and a poetic short story called The Missing Dream AKA Dream #22 by some chap named Simon Armitage. If you are a Weller fan, don't skip this opportunity to hear him play the kind of music he's always wanted to play!.


Weller's Life Work...
Weller's solo career. This album is a giant effort Mr. It hits on all his influences and takes them a step or two further. Rockers, soul, ballads, mood pieces. . . . just great. Highlights for me - All I Wanna Do, Push it Along, Echoes Round the Sun, Sea Spray. Any fan will love it and it might bring him some new converts. It's a work that shows a great artist still sharp with his craft. Props to all the other musicians too as they shine brightly.


You can see a complete list of all Paul Weller discography, or go back to the Paul Weller tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.

Search guitar tabs

#ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
[ Search tabs | Guitar tabs | Bass tabs |
Easy guitar tabs | Guitar solo tabs |
Acoustic guitar tabs | Guitar chords |
How to read guitar tabs ]
Forum topics
Music forums
- Bands and artists - Songwriting and lyrics - Tablature talk - Promote your band
Instrument forums
- Guitar basics - Gear & accessories - Bass guitar
Community
- The pit - Site Feedback - Reviews
[ User survey | About us | Privacy statement ]