Wake Up the Nation

Paul Weller - Wake Up the Nation
Critic Score
Based on 21 reviews
2010 Ratings: #43 / 924
User Score
Based on 20 ratings
Liked by 1 person
April 20, 2010 / Release Date
LP / Format
Yep Roc / Label
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CRITIC REVIEWS

100
Q Magazine

With the exception of Bob Dylan, there isn't a single artist, living or dead, who has managed a record this audacious 30-plus-years into a career. Wake Up The Nation is that good.

100
The Guardian
The fearless try-anything spirit of Paul Welly, it seems, is still alive and well.
90
PopMatters

Fast on the heels of the success and acclaim for 2008’s 22 Dreams, Paul Weller’s 10th solo release, Wake Up the Nation, once again illustrates not only his perennial songwriting prowess, but also his incredible staying power amidst artists for whom influence is sporadic and brief at best. “I’m schooled in the test of time,” Weller sings on the roaring opener, “Moonshine”, and it’s clear he’s learned his lessons well after 30-odd years in the music business.

80
NME
It's a collection of ludicrously fresh-sounding, short and sharp material (the majority of tracks are under two-and a-half minutes) that confirms he's in the midst of a seriously impressive rebirth.
80
Clash
Lean, mean and as uncompromisingly focused as its maker, this is an album for everyone's collection, and whilst Weller is perhaps not the man he once was, the man he is now is most definitely still a force to be reckoned with.
80
Uncut
Wake Up The Nation, an album that goes a long way to differentiate itself from its predecessor in sound, texture and atmosphere.
80
Mojo
An astonishing landmark, and great record, wherein the Mod once again becomes The Modernist.
77
Pitchfork

That's just about a half-hour shorter than 22 Dreams, but the disc in turn is twice the fun.

60
Drowned in Sound

The news that Paul Weller is about to unleash a new album, his twenty-second in all and tenth as a solo artist, won't set many pulses racing outside of those whose excitement levels peaked thirty years ago. Despite possessing one of the most loyal fanbases around, it would be fair to say that musical progression would be about as welcome to your average Weller devotee as Ashley Cole at a Girls Aloud aftershow. In fact, one of the reasons why Weller has maintained such popularity despite releasing largely insipid, generic records for the bulk of his solo career has been down to an unwillingness to step outside of his classic rock meets rhythm and blues comfort zone.

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Year End Lists

#3/Uncut
#6/MOJO
#9/Q Magazine
#29/The Guardian
#36/Clash
#46/NME
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