Paul Weller
Illumination
Independiente

It's never been easy to pin a label on Paul Weller, and that's worked for him and against him. Playing to his own ever-changing beat, Weller has, over the years, achieved great chart success and public reverence in his native United Kingdom. But the 44-year-old onetime Jam and Style Council frontman's stature in America is that of cult figure, his most recent studio albums available only as imports upon their original release.

Weller's work with The Jam, from 1977 to 1982, initially possessed the fervor and instrumental attack of a punk band. Weller, who quickly established himself as a gifted lyricist capable of looking inward and outward, guided the trio into a different musical direction in the band's later years by incorporating elements of classic soul and R&B. He explored those areas even more throughout the 1980s — with mixed results — while leading his next group, the slick Style Council.

With the release of his self-titled solo debut in 1992, Weller arrived at a blend of lean rock and earthy soul that's defined his recorded output ever since. On Illumination, which will be released Jan. 14 in the United States on Yep Roc Records, Weller takes a small step forward artistically, building ever so slightly on his sturdy foundation at a time when he's on a songwriting winning streak.

Just like he did on his brief one-man US tour last year in support of 2000's Heliocentric, Weller makes good use of acoustic guitars on Illumination, especially on the personal and reflective material. That includes "Going Places," which has an early 1970s Rod Stewart vibe, and the third track, "Leafy Mysteries," which also is easygoing and seemingly effortless.

Separating these two steady, strummy songs is "A Bullet for Everyone." As the drums stomp and the electric guitars roar, Weller climbs atop a soap box and rails against the politics behind war and economics, singing "And they say there's no provisions/ there's not enough to go 'round/ But when it comes to the gun there's a bullet for everyone." Weller's other major piece of commentary is the more subdued and slightly ambiguous "Bag Man," during which he gives voice to a transient character who sometimes can be found "floating 'round the bins," and when the morning comes, he carries his "heavy load of nothing" to his home — wherever that may be.

While not known for his instrumentals, Weller has come up with a good one in the brief, Indian-flavored "Spring (at Last)," which features the delicate sarod work of short-term Stone Roses guitarist Aziz Ibrahim. Other more notable names, such as Stereophonics singer Kelly Jones and Oasis members Noel Gallagher and Gem Archer, assist on other songs, but Weller is left alone on the album-closing title track. Supporting himself on acoustic guitar, Weller longs to hold a loved one, without whom he's "as worthless as a cold, cold sun that shines for no one at all." As for Illumination, it's another bright spot in the career of an artist who has a resplendent, if often under-appreciated, track record.

— Chris M. Junior (chrisjr@mindspring.com)