Like all good writers, he’s clearly an avid consumer of the very medium through which he frolics, touching on Bill Withers’ muscular yet deft southern soul/rock (opener Woo Sé Mama), stuttering, string-infused white-boy funk (She Moves With The Fayre), and the slinky and syncopated street-corner vibe of New York.
Amid all the groove, Weller knows when to dial it back, too: The Cranes Are Back finds him in a smoky jazz mood, ala Robert Wyatt, as he pleads for, if not global unity, then at least understanding.
• Paul Weller. A Kind Revolution. Warner Music.
• Four stars (out of five)
Single download: She Moves With The Fayre
For those who like: Joe Henry, Elvis Costello
— Shane Gilchrist
