Weller could easily be forgiven for just living off that immense back catalogue. On the other hand, he can seemingly effortlessly produce something like In Better Time, which is one of the most beautiful things he’s written, and that’s quite an achievement for someone on their 16th solo album. Testify, in particular, is the sort of thing that he could knock off in his sleep, and there’s a couple of tracks, such as Failed or Good Times, that dip into formula and don’t make too much of an impression. There are no major surprises to be found on Fat Pop (Volume 1), and some of it may feel a bit like Weller on auto-pilot. Weller’s long-term collaborator Hannah Fry adds some orchestral strings to the aforementioned Cobweb Connections while the closing ballad Still Glides The Stream is written by another Weller favourite, Ocean Colour Scene‘s Steve Craddock. There’s some snarling rock here, some laid-back, summery The Style Council vibes there. Sometimes, Fat Pop Vol 1 feels like a whistlestop tour of all elements of Weller’s career. Cobweb Connections is another highlight, a beefed-up acoustic anthem, while Moving Campus is a bluesy tribute to Iggy Pop. Shades Of Blue is perhaps the best example, a soulful, catchy collaboration with his daughter Leah, while True is an impressively fiery duet with Lia Metcalfe of The Mysterines, all call and response vocals and stomping beats.
PAUL WELLER FAT POP REVIEW FULL
The title track continues this electronic experimentation, with its synth line and snaking melody bringing to mind Gorillaz, especially with Weller’s raspy, Damon Albarn-like, delivery.Įlsewhere, the more classic songwriter side of Weller is on full display. It’s still a fine reminder that Weller can knock off a dozen expertly crafted songs at a moment’s notice.Ĭosmic Fringes is synth-heavy with a strutting, confident air to it (“I don’t believe my luck when I see him in the mirror” runs one line), and Weller sounds uncannily like Ian Dury at points. There’s a slightly more experimental edge to many of the tracks, and stylistically it bounces about all over the place. The result, Fat Pop (Volume 1), is more of a companion piece to On Sunset than a fully fledged follow-up. He then set about swapping files with his band remotely, and then headed back into the studio to finish the album once lockdown had eased slightly last summer. Obviously, global circumstances dictated that album couldn’t be performed live, so Weller instead revisited some half-finished ideas he’d recorded on his phone. Last July, he released On Sunset, his fourth record in about five years, which became one of the most well-received albums of his career. Paul Weller plays the forthcoming tour dates (including rescheduled dates) in 2021:ġ9 November – Liverpool Eventim Olympia, Liverpoolįat Pop (Volume 1) is out on May 14 and can be pre-ordered here.It could be argued that Paul Weller was experiencing one of his most prolific phases before Covid-19, but the global pandemic and subsequent lockdown certainly seems to have accelerated that purple patch. Other guests include Liverpudlian singer Lia Metcalfe of the Mysterines, who also co-wrote “True” and British pop-rock veteran Andy Fairweather Low, who adds distinctive vocals to “Testify.” Hannah Peel returns with string scores for “Cobweb Connections” and “Still Glides The Stream.” No matter what situation you are in, and we’re in one now, music doesn’t let you down, does it?”įat Pop (Volume 1) also features the ballad “Still Glides The Stream,” co-written with Steve Cradock “Moving Canvas”(a tribute to Iggy Pop), and ”dramatic, immediate pop symphonies” such as “Failed” and “True,”. The forthcoming new album Fat Pop (Volume 1) is released on May 14, which is hot on the heels of Weller’s widely-acclaimed UK chart-topping LP, On Sunset which was released last June.ĭiscussing the upcoming album, Weller said: “It’s a celebration of music and what it’s given us all.
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