Album Review: Jawbone [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack] by Paul Weller

Weller's first soundtrack not only complements Jawbone, a semi-autobiographical Ken Loach-meets-Rocky Balboa tale of a former youth boxing champion rejoining the game 'desperately in search of hope in all the wrong places', its evocative moods even helped shape screenwriter and star Johnny Harris's final script. You should never underrate Weller. Jawbone is not only accomplished, it's also occasionally stunning.

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Considering his range of influence and scope of talent, it's not surprising to be reminded that Paul Weller has been a fixture of the music world for roughly four decades. As the leader of the punk trio the Jam in the '70s and the primary brains behind the pop/funk/soul outfit the Style Council in the '80s, Weller has continued to hone his skills as an acclaimed and eclectic solo artist since his full-length debut album in 1992. In his solo years he's mined nearly every conceivable genre, from pastoral folk (Wild Wood) to Beatlesque soul (Stanley Road) to fuzzy guitar funk (Heavy Soul).

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Thomas Napper's Jawbone is a British independent film about a former youth boxing champ who returns home in an effort to rebuild himself after hitting a personal low. It's a quasi-autobiographical effort from its lead actor Johnny Harris -- who also wrote the film and co-produced it -- and he's the guy who brought Paul Weller into the project. Weller has done a lot in his career, but he's never composed a soundtrack, so Jawbone is noteworthy for that reason alone, but it's also interesting because it doesn't follow conventional paths for soundtracks.

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