Paul Weller - Find El Dorado (2025)
Find El Dorado finds Paul Weller revisiting a curated selection of early‑1970s folk, country, and orchestral pop gems—drawn from obscurities and personal favourites rather than well‑worn classics. The album unfolds as an intimate, chamber‑pop journey—clean arrangements, subtle strings, pedal steel, and occasional kora textures provide sonic richness without overstatement. His voice is expressive but restrained, allowing songs like Pinball, Nobody’s Fool, and One Last Cold Kiss to resonate emotionally in solitude rather than spectacle.
Guest contributions—from Noel Gallagher’s shimmering guitar on El Dorado to Robert Plant’s harmonica and vocals on Clive’s Song, as well as Seckou Keita’s kora on Journey—are thoughtfully placed, enhancing rather than overshadowing Weller’s own interpretations. While the album takes few risks and largely avoids his trademark rock swagger, it succeeds as a refined and reflective homage to the music that shaped him. Ultimately, Find El Dorado is a mature, elegantly realised covers record that reveals Weller at ease—an artist stopping to breathe and share the songs that matter most.
Country: UK
Final Verdict: 63% (Good Album)
Yearly Ranking: 281th / 518
Highlight: Where There’s Smoke, There’s Fire
Made me think of:
Nick Drake
Richard Hawley
Jake Bugg
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