Paul Weller, True Meanings (Parlophone) ***

WHO would have thought in the punky and mod revival days of The Jam that archetypal angry young man Paul Weller would one day bring out an album featuring lush strings, horns, a folky guitar and even a sitar, accompanying gentle, pastoral songs?

But yes, the Modfather, who once baited toffs with The Eton Rifles, has never stayed for too long in the same groove, ever since the time in 1982 when he shocked fans by disbanding The Jam and going on to form the Style Council before later launching a career as a solo artist.

For me, as a keen Jam fan in my student days, nothing has ever been – or ever will be - as good as Down In The Tube Station At Midnight, Town Called Malice or Going Underground. For others, he can do no wrong and his re-inventions certainly keep things fresh.

Perhaps that’s why Weller sold out York Barbican in August, with groups of fans waiting patiently outside for his autograph and selfies, while the concert left me rather frustrated until the final half hour, when he finally rolled out some of those greatest hits from nearly 40 years ago.

So True Meanings, a 14-track album and his 14th solo LP, is another rather unexpected shift in Weller’s career trajectory, a dreamy, surprisingly gentle and introspective affair, with plenty of folk influences. Many tracks are co-written, with Weller joined by many musicians, such as folk singers Martin Carthy and Danny Thompson and Noel Gallagher, who has a harmonica cameo on Books.

Weller’s voice does now sound a little …weathered, perhaps hoarse, in crooning mode, but it’s an intimate and personal album that’s a grower, with a nice tribute to David Bowie and some lovely acoustic guitar, and I enjoyed the sitar’s appearance.

Mike Laycock