| "Humiliated by Polydor's rejection of the final Style Council album 
        (it remained unreleased until the 1998 box set), Paul Weller retreated 
        from the spotlight, licked his wounds, and redefined his music. He re-emerged 
        with the Paul Weller Movement and the surging trad rock single "Into 
        Tomorrow," a song that may not have been a big hit, but it signaled 
        that he had begun a productive new phase. That same criticism applies 
        to his 1992 solo debut (by this point, he had dropped "Movement," 
        and decided to just be "Weller"). Heavily inspired by soul and 
        classic rock (more early Humble Pie than Led Zeppelin, of course), it's 
        a solid effort whose best songs  the opening triptych "Uh Huh 
        Oh Yeh," "I Didn't Mean to Hurt You," and "Bull-Rush," 
        plus "Into Tomorrow"  demonstrate the virtues of nostalgia, 
        particularly when it's tempered with fine songwriting. If he drifts a 
        bit toward the end, and winds up with some lightweight songs, it's still 
        gritty and effective, displaying a focus absent in the Style Council's 
        last few albums. It's not a full-fledged comeback (that would arrive next), 
        but it's a fine start all the same."  (Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All 
        Music Guide) |