As anyone who ever swooned over the likes of The Jam’s “English Rose” or “Wild Wood” can attest, Paul Weller is rather good with an acoustic ballad. However, bar acoustic tour live document Days of Speed, he’s never actually sat down and made an entire album of them. However, as he approached his 60th birthday, Weller crafted a full album of acoustic songs that looked back over his life and took stock. In the context of the decade long run of freewheeling-ly experimental albums that preceded it, True Meanings was thus remarkable perhaps for its relative orthodoxy, but the delicate and light on their feet set of songs he turned in were among his very best, with string arranger Hannah Peel’s gentle orchestral flourishes helping make one of the most beautiful and reflective works of his entire career.

– Chris Catchpole