This, like any Weller album, is a snapshot of Weller's mood at the time, and it finds him aging gracefully and appealingly.
This is unlikely to be a huge hit, like Stanley Road, nor will it likely win many new fans, but that's not the point of Illumination. Best of all, it all feels effortless (unlike, say, the labored efforts of his peer, Elvis Costello, on his 2002 release When I Was Cruel), from the production to the songwriting. But, as creator of nearly 30 studio albums with The Jam, The Style Council and then under his own name and author of hundreds of incredible songs, how best. Even when Weller tears loose on occasion - flashing violent rage on the rampaging "A Bullet for Everyone," for instance, or fiercely playing his guitar - it functions as an effective counterpoint, emphasizing the comforting feel of the majority of the album. When the album drifts, as it does on the largely instrumental "Spring (At Last)," it's for atmosphere, enhancing the open, warm feel of the record. There is little of the British folk and prog overtones of Heliocentric here, and soul takes the center stage even when a track isn't explicitly soulful, it has a warm, welcoming vibe reminiscent of late-'60s/early-'70s soul. And the horn sample is a good indication of where the sound of Illumination lies. During the Stanley Road/ Heavy Soul phase, it would have been unthinkable for Weller to loop a horn sample for a song's main hook as he does on "It's Written in the Stars," but he not only does that, he offers it as a lead single. Paul Weller’s favourite albums: Odessey & Oracle The Zombies. Pre-internet of course, with no fanfare, there sat a brand new Paul Weller album The CD singles were all excellent with great bonus material.
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As it turns out, Heliocentric was indeed a bit of a creative rebirth, signaling a return to stronger songwriting plus a willingness to play around with the arrangements. It's firmly grounded in the soulful singer/songwriter style that he etched out on Wild Wood, but there are several subtle differences that give it its own character. Paul Weller doesn't try anything explicitly new on his sixth solo album, Illumination, or at least it seems that way at first.
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