Paul Weller
Paul Weller
Arriving between the implosion of the Style Council and the commercial comeback of Wild Wood, Paul Weller’s eponymous 1992 debut is sometimes overlooked, but it’s one of his finest records, a smooth, soulful excursion pitched precisely between the sophisticated swing of the Style Council and the rustic rock of Wild Wood. Soul-flavoured songs like Remember How We Started and Above the Clouds are virtual tributes to Marvin Gaye and Curtis Mayfield, but the rest of the album tilts, quite attractively, towards a sort of pastoral, psychedelic r&b reminiscent of Traffic's classic Mr Fantasy.