The signs were good. He'd been getting into Neil Young, smoking joints and making pilgrimages to Nick Drake's grave, but nothing could have prepared us for quite such a return to form. The mood was autobiographical, most notably on "Has My Fire Really Gone Out" and the title track--both of which dealt with the writer's block that plagued Weller after The Style Council. And yet, Wild Wood is anything but morose: flutes and sundazed guitars adorn more pastoral moments; "Shadow Of The Sun" takes stock of youthful idealism and finds redemption in the wisdom of years; and "Sunflower" remains a superlative burst of psychedelic powerpop. But more than actual songs, it's the instrumental passages and interconnecting refrains that truly reveal their author's attention to detail--and give Wild Wood an edge over the rest of his solo material. --Peter Paphides
