Paul Weller, ‘That Dangerous Age’ – Song Review

British rock and roll legend Paul Weller is back in action March 26 with a brand new album called 'Sonik Kicks,' and the first single 'That Dangerous Age' is already upon us.

Weller recently told NME that the new material is "very electronic sounding, good melodies, quite experimental in places, quite tough sounding...groundbreaking maybe? For me it is."

Weller has been in constant forward motion since first forming the Jam in the mid 70's. His career since has been full of peaks and valleys, but has never been a boring ride.

His last couple of albums, we must say, have been among his best, and anticipation is high again.

The album's first single, 'Around The Lake,' was a jarring 2 minute ride of pulsing electronic motion with nods to Krautrock pioneers Neu! as well as John Foxx's Ultravox. On the brand new single, 'That Dangerous Age,' Weller gets a bit closer to home with a very mid 60's soul based groove and melody at the song's core.

However, instead of going the more conventional route, he takes the song on a motorik ride. 21st century soul based rock via 1960's dancefloor with a 1970's teutonic twist. Think Northern soul meets Bowie circa 'Low' and you're somewhere in the ballpark. The big hook chorus and the crisp, powerful production make the song jump out of the speakers! Untraditionally traditional so to speak!

Of the lyrics, Weller said “There was an inference that I was going through a mid-life crisis, which I found really amusing: the clichéd notion of it. That was the impetus for (the song) even though it isn’t really about that. It’s a bit tongue in cheek, too. I guess it’s also about how society views people of a certain age. For me, does it really matter what age you are? It’s what up there in your soul that matters.”

It's been 35 years since The Jam first arrived on the music scene as part of that wonderful thing called 'punk rock,' but the ever-forward looking Weller has no interest in celebrating the milestone. "I have actually no interest at all in that,' he told NME, "personally I'm not one for nostalgia really. What's gone is gone and that's it for me."

'Sonik Kicks,' which features contributions from Noel Gallagher (ex-Oasis) and Graham Coxon (Blur), will be released March 27 followed in May by two exclusive US dates in NYC as well as an appearance on 'Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.'

Listen to Paul Weller's 'That Dangerous Age'