A full quarter of a century since he first emerged as the angry young leader of The Jam, Paul Weller's critical reputation has probably never been lower. Illumination is unlikely to change that, but while it's no masterpiece, it's almost certainly the most satisfying album he's made for the best part of ten years. There's a distinctly pastoral feel to much of the material here, with piano, mellotron and flutes adorning the Modfather's trademark guitar workouts. And while some of the songs lapse into tedious Dadrock cliches, elsewhere Weller sings with passion and sincerity about his love for his daughter, the beauty of rural England and the political scandal of the homeless. His collection of dreary friends, meanwhile, (Noel Gallagher, Kelly Jones, most of Ocean Colour Scene) all turn up to make unspectacular contributions, leaving any credit that's due belonging entirely to the man itself. True, it's essentially a middle of the road album made by a middle-aged man, but at least Weller sounds more fired up about music than he has done for a long, long time. In the end, Illumination is a modest success - and a quiet victory for application over inspiration.
