Singles

Paul Weller/Graham Coxon - This Old Town

Paul Cook 30/07/2007

Rating: 3/5

Far from the quality of anything released by The Jam or a solo Mr. Weller, 'This Old Town' can't help but seem like a 'one-last-shot' at chart success from an established and successful artist. Not entirely bad, the riff, as ever, is another catchy Brit-rock toe-tapper. The electric guitar solo impresses as well, with a bit of bravado and raw guitar rhythm that's reminiscent of the acoustic Weller B-sides.

Style-wise, a blending of Weller's audacious, rock 'n' roll aesthetic with Coxon's Brit-pop playfulness is a fantastic idea. Regrettably, 'This Old Town' is more of a Weller tribute in essence than a collaboration of two of Britain's best-known musicians. The riffs, guitar lines and punk rock lyrics are atypical Weller and without the printed sleeve, it's difficult to tell that Coxon is on the track at all.

Despite this, the voices merge nicely and the riff is undoubtedly catchy. However, far better material has been written and performed by both personalities making 'This Old Town' a slight disappointment from a new duo of star calibre.