Finding a balance between his musical obsessions from the ‘60s – pop and soul – and his avant-garde ambitions has always been somewhat of a dilemma for Paul Weller, from his earlier punk years as the lead singer of The Jam to his shift to soul music with Style Council and his complete 360° turnaround in 1992 when he embarked on his solo career. For his 15th opus, On Sunset, the Modfather slaloms through more genres than ever, showing off a jamboree of styles from pop, psychedelic and rock to folk, easy listening and predominantly, soul. As a proper mod worthy of his title, Weller, of course, knows all of its various forms and is a fan of all of them, from Northern soul to Motown and blue-eyed-soul. But in On Sunset, the songs are mostly of the pop genre, polished, diverse, well arranged and reminiscent of the sounds of other great musicians, such as Equanimity which sounds like an unlikely fusion between The Kinks and Bowie. The Modfather arms himself with acoustic and electronic instruments, vintage synths, funky brass and full orchestra, switching from intimate to grandiose (Rockets), and from mainstream to experimental at the drop of a hat. Even when it comes to the guests that feature on the album, Weller has cast his net wide, with appearances from Steve Cradock, from the former band Ocean Colour Scene whom he has worked with for years, his old pal Mick Talbot from Style Council who returns with his Hammond organ on three of the tracks and Julie Gros from the band Le SuperHomard who sings in French on More. Also featured on the album are guitarist Josh McClorey from The Strypes, folk trio The Staves as well as R&B singer Col3trane. For those who know him well, this album will make total sense as the genius behind The Jam is simply up to his usual antics. For those who don't, this album may leave them feeling a little disorientated… © Marc Zisman/Qobuz