Wild Wood

1993’s Wild Wood is a shimmering, pastoral soul-rock classic, a synthesis of The Small Faces, Curtis Mayfield, Traffic, Van Morrison and Nick Drake. The title track is a sublime musical moment of stillness and yearning, while the rest of the album assembles strummed acoustic guitars, Hammond organs and Weller’s squealing Les Paul, all held down by drummer Steve White’s fiery pulse. Weller’s voice is beginning to sound aged here, experienced; perfect for this nostalgia-tinted collection. It’s a set of songs so good that a lesser artist would still be touring now, nearly three decades on.