After making his name with the Jam--at least in England, where their post-Kinks, Brit-centric lyrics; mod appeal; and blend of punk and soul sounds made them stars--and then nearly losing it with the Style Council, Paul Weller reemerged in 1992 with a self-titled album. Since then he's released four studio albums (and one live set, the British import Live Wood); Modern Classics is a democratic collection, choosing three tracks from Paul Weller, four tracks from each of the rest, and adding one new single, "Brand New Start," for good measure. There's not a loser in the lot, but the remarkable thing to note here is the coherence of this collection: Weller's mature rock and love of classic soul has resulted in a sound that's remained remarkably consistent over the course of the 1990s. There's plenty more that could've been included--his cover of "Sexy Sadie" and the touching "Has My Fire Really Gone Out?" just for starters--which simply means there are plenty of reasons to mine his catalog after Modern Classics whets your appetite. --Randy Silver
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