Editorial Review:

Product Description:
''After As Is Now I thought the time was right to make the sort of record I
wanted to make,'' says Paul Weller of the creative process which led
to his striking ninth solo album 22 Dreams. ''Instead of worrying about
anyone else, I wanted to really push the boat out. I think the result is going
to surprise a few people.'' Surprises have always been part of the artistic
vernacular for the man who changed rock forever with The Jam, explored a host of eclectic influences with The Style Council and cemented his position as the patriarch of Brit pop with his legendary solo work. 22 Dreams is the latest chapter in a creative journey spanning 30 years, with material spanning the full breadth of popular music rock to classical, avant garde to funk and spoken word to experimental. In addition to a cast of Weller s frequent collaborators including Steve Cradock and producer Simon Dine, 22 Dreams also features some of the largest beneficiaries of Weller s
incalculable musical influence. Noel Gallagher and Gem from Oasis lend
their talents to Echoes Around the Sun, a writing collaboration between
Weller and Gallagher. Ex-Blur guitarist Graham Coxon appears on Black
River. The spirit of collaboration and an in-the-moment creative approach
have resulted in one of Weller s most spirited works and one that is sure to
expand the artistic canon of the one and only Modfather.

Amazon.co.uk:
It's never too long between Paul 'The Modfather' Weller albums. Yet the starlet's prolific solo output over the last decade or so hasn’t often reached the artistic heights of his work with The Jam or The Style Council. While consistent enough, recent projects have been marred by a certain complacency--a tendency to settle for the middle ground instead of the soaring, surprising heights of yesteryear. But on 22 Dreams, some of the old punk fire returns. Buoyed by a stellar Britpop cast including former Blur guitarist Graham Coxon and Oasis members Noel Gallagher and Gem Archer, 22 Dreams is the sound of Weller finally taking an unexpected artistic leap after a series of steady steps. Working across a wide range of genres--rock, funk, soul, free jazz, krautrock, classical music, electronica, even spoken word--Weller presents an hour-plus odyssey full of eccentric surprises and loveable chaos. From the blue-eyed soul of 'Have You Made Up Your Mind?' and the eerily brilliant 'Echoes Around the Sun' (a Weller/Gallagher collaboration), to experimental offerings such as '111' and acid-folk opener 'Light Nights', Weller digs deep into his magician's hat, and pulls out rabbit after rabbit. Some of the more off-the-wall moments--'God' for example--won't be for everyone, but the way everything collides together in a haphazard, devil-may-care manner serves to remind us that we should never write off our beloved veterans--you never know when they’re going to take an unexpected artistic risk.--Danny McKenna









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Disc 1:

1. Light Nights
2. 22 Dreams
3. All I Wanna Do (Is Be With You)
4. Have You Made Up Your Mind
5. Empty Ring
6. Invisible
7. Song For Alice
8. Cold Moments
9. The Dark Pages of September Lead to the New Leaves of Spring
10. Black River
11. Why Walk When You Can Run
12. Push It Along
13. A Dream Reprise
14. Echoes Round the Sun
15. One Bright Star
16. Lullaby Für Kinder
17. Where er Ye Go
18. God
19. 111
20. Sea Spray
21. Night Lights

Rating: - The Modfather still crackling at 50!!
"22 dreams" by Paul Weller is a sprawling opus that sees him fleeting stylistically from Blues to Soul to Electronica to Jazz to even Tango, ensuring there is a little something for everyone. Due to its length (21 tracks clocking in at about 70 minutes) it does take a while to get into, but its ended up becoming my favourite Weller album.

The title track "22 dreams" and "Echoes round the sun" are both Blues-tinged rockers, while "All I wanna do (is be with you)" and "Have you made up your mind" fall into the Soul category. The instrumental "Song for Alice" is a Jazzy tribute to the late Alice Coltrane.

"Invisible" is a fragile sounding sparse piano ballad, and "Why walk when you can run" is an absolutely brilliant acoustic ballad (yearning vocals set to delicate strumming, like those Rick Rubin produced Johnny Cash/Neil Diamond/Jakob Dylan songs), my absolute favourite song! In fact, along with "Black is the colour" and "You do something to me", it's one of my favourite Weller songs ever.

Other standouts include the haunting Tango of "One bright star", "Lullaby fur kinder" (a touching piano sonata), the eerie acoustic ballad "God" (a spoken conversation with God - "And I looked up/and I spoke to God/and God said look at you/don't look at me/you only call on me when you need me/and when you don't/you hardly think of me at all"), the swirling electronic instrumental "111", and the closing hypnotic instrumental "Night lights".

The Modfather shows he's still got it in spades. Eclectic and brilliant!!

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Rating: - GREAT ALBUM!!
ALMOST EVERYTHING PAUL WELLER DOES I ENJOY.THE ALBUM "22 DREAMS"
GOES IN A DIFFERENT PLACE SOMEWHAT-BUT THE MORE I LISTEN I'VE
BECOME REALLY CRAZY ABOUT IT! 4 STARS! PAUL, WE WILL SEE YOU
AND YOUR BAND IN SAN FRANCISCO SEPT. 4TH!

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Rating: - 22 Dreams
Paul's back, with more of the great tune revival we heard in Illumination.
Much of his earlier solo work left us pining for Style Council and Jam, but melody is back in this deep collection of well written songs.
Of particular interest to me was the song about God, where the singer suggests that people just lead their own lives, ignoring God, until they're in desperate need of something, and then turn to God for help. So true so often.

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Rating: - IT'S WILD
Mostly mellow, had it for two days and still growing on me... thus far I would label it a mostly soul record with cool splashes of acid jazz... hard to pigeon hole this one... cool psych rock and folk mixed in there too... The short answer is a mega yes you need it. I guess my title sums it up best: IT'S WILD! ...could it be I had too much to dream last night?... Perfect record to light a candle and chill with. So far it gets better with every listen... a very good thing indeed!

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Rating: - The Return of the Modfather
At this late point in his illustrious career Paul Weller manages to pull off a feat which few artists of his stature (or vintage) can do; produce a nearly-perfect comeback record. While it may not have the stylistic flashes of Wildwood or Stanley Road, the Modfather doesn't have to impress anyone but himself. A great release well worth waiting for.