Paul Weller

The release of Paul Weller’s tenth solo album confirms his startling reinvention into an avant-garde experimentalist. But whereas 2008’s 22 Dreams had it’s sedate moments, Wake Up The Nation thunders along at a furious pace and sweeps you up with its sheer enthusiasm.

The folk influence of much of his solo work is notable for its absence, and in many ways this is the most Rock and Roll thing he has done since In The City, but the arrangements and production take each track into unexpected places. There are outbursts of honky-tonk piano and free-form Jazz, but to describe this album’s more bizarre moments in detail would be like giving away the twists to a film plot. However it should be said that this eccentricity never dilutes the sense of purpose. The lyrics are frequently sharp (I don’t know where to escape it or who to believe/Can’t find an opinion that ain’t on its knees) and are Weller’s best in years. As ever, the R&B influence is there to; Aim High has a languid funk groove and No Tears To Cry is a great Northern Soul Ballard.

For the first time since the great split Weller reunites with Bruce Foxton on Fast Car Slow Traffic, and the latter’s bass line gives it an unmistakable early Jam feel, and reminds you just how important he was to their sound. I would say Find the Torch, Burn the Plans is an Oasis style anthem, but Oasis never did it as well as this.

At the height of The Jam’s success Pete Townsend said Paul Weller was 'Waking up a sleepy nation’. I’ve no idea if he recalled that quote when writing this album, but thank the stars that after all these years it still rings true.