Singular Adventures

Singular Adventures

In retrospect, the Style Council has always been looked at as the (better part of a) decade that constituted Paul Weller's lost in the wilderness period, the time between his sharp, focused songs with the Jam and his more adult, reflective work as a solo artist. While it's undeniable that the period was marked by unevenness and experimentation, Weller and Mick Talbot's group chalked up their share of gems--it was just that for every "Long Hot Summer" there's "A Gospel"; for every "You're the Best Thing" and "My Ever Changing Moods" there's an entire album's worth of unreleased (except on a box set) house tracks that were probably better left unheard. But there's easily enough to fill a single disc, which is where The Singular Adventures of the Style Council comes in, rounding out the above singles with other favourites, including "Speak Like a Child", "Solid Bond in Your Heart", "Headstart for Happiness" and "How She Threw It All Away". In many ways, this "best of" foreshadows Weller's solo output: the best songs from the Style Council are those that are quiet and reflective; they feature breezy structures that let the songs breathe and shine through, here enhanced by bright synths and lounge-jazz arrangements rather than the Traffic-era guitar effects and classic keyboard sounds that would mark his later work.--Randy Silver