True Meanings
by Paul Weller
User Score
7.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 16 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 16
  3. Negative: 1 out of 16
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  1. Ricko
    Dec 15, 2020
    8
    In some ways stripped back but in other aspects "True Meanings", with its elegant orchestration, smooth layers of vocals and intricate guitars, is as complex as some of his more recent electronic tinged albums. The songwriting is sharp and the playing on the record is flawless. At times it reminds me a little of something Bacharach might have done. Weller has done some very interestingIn some ways stripped back but in other aspects "True Meanings", with its elegant orchestration, smooth layers of vocals and intricate guitars, is as complex as some of his more recent electronic tinged albums. The songwriting is sharp and the playing on the record is flawless. At times it reminds me a little of something Bacharach might have done. Weller has done some very interesting collaborations as well here, all of whom add something different to make this a special Weller release and up with the best things he has done in the last 20 years or so.… Expand
  2. ChicagoViking
    Sep 18, 2018
    9
    "Take me back there again
    Let me feel the same way
    As I always used to say While there's still time, While there's still time" -- Mayfly Looking back lyrically, yes. Recycling old ideas, no. Weller here traffics in beauty, different shades of it, over and over. The cool spy jazz of The Soul Searchers. The blues reflection Mayfly. Perhaps a perfect skating competition swing song,    "Take me back there again
    Let me feel the same way
    As I always used to say
    While there's still time,
    While there's still time" -- Mayfly

    Looking back lyrically, yes. Recycling old ideas, no.

    Weller here traffics in beauty, different shades of it, over and over. The cool spy jazz of The Soul Searchers. The blues reflection Mayfly. Perhaps a perfect skating competition swing song, Gravity. The space-folk turned seventies mini-soul Movin On. And then Wild Horses does bring it home lyrically and guitar strummingly.

    It's a thoughtful record, well-crafted but not stifling so.

    Best Weller record ever? I don't know. I'll just enjoy it.    … Expand
  3. mikejam84
    Oct 16, 2018
    10
    An absolute masterclass in songwriting, coming from a man who has had so many high points in his career already. Beautiful arrangements and his voice sounds so rich and textured.

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
81

Universal acclaim - based on 16 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 16
  3. Negative: 0 out of 16
  1. PopMatters
    Oct 5, 2018
    90
    "Gravity" works well as a representative track from the 14 great songs on True Meanings. There's a simple, folky acoustic guitar laying the groundwork, while sumptuous strings – never overbearing – lift the song into emotional areas previously unexplored by Weller. And his voice, that burnished, soulful instrument of his, has never sounded better or wiser.
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  2. Record Collector
    Sep 27, 2018
    80
    True Meanings is, on the surface, a traditionally introspective singer-songwriter record, but such a reductive description runs the risk of underselling a package that contains some of the most accessible, thought-provoking and downright enjoyable music of his lengthy career. The vibes are resolutely bucolic, embellished just the right amount by a chamber orchestra.
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  3. musicOMH.com
    Sep 25, 2018
    80
    It will be intriguing to see where he heads next on his musical tour, adapting as he does to different styles, though time and again the music of True Meanings feels like the most naturally sourced for him as an artist now. It is very much a case of a little less being a whole lot more.
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