22 Dreams is Paul Weller's 9th solo album, and it is his best and most varied solo work to date. Comprising 21 tracks (the "22nd dream" is a story in the liner notes) spread over 70-plus minutes, Weller says of the album, "I really wanted to push the boat out." Not the usual move for someone who just turned 50 and in 2007 received a Lifetime Achievement award at the Brits (Britain's equivalent of the Grammys). But push the boat out he does, as this disc incorporates everything from the balls-out rock approach of his first, legendary group, The Jam, the soul and jazzy stylings of his second group The Style Council, with further forays into folk, world, classical, krautrock, funk, psychedelia, and spoken word. And, unbelievably, with the exception of the spoken word piece, "God," everything works brilliantly. Opener "Light Nights" presents us with gypsy violin, acoustic strumming and a beautiful melody. The title track follows, a horn-driven rocker. The next tune takes an approach somewhat like the 60s group Traffic, incorporating an English folk-rock sound. "Why Walk When You Can Run" is one of the standout tracks, as it has an anthemic, Jam-like feel, but without any drums or bass. There are a number of piano-led instrumental interludes, all beautifully constructed. And who would expect the former Jam leader to be able to pull off a song whose chorus is "Carry me home, carry me home, you old sea spray" ("Sea Spray"). Noel Gallagher collaborates on "Echoes Around The Sun," a great psychedelic rocker. At 21 tunes, there isn't space to list all the individual songs and styles that Weller brings to fruition here, but rest assured the melodies and arrangements are consistently strong, even when understated (e.g., "Where'er Ye Go"). One always wonders how rock stars will cope with advancing years. Somehow, Weller kicks all such questions into the can on this disc as his creativity continues undiminished, and his passion for all styles of music shines throughout. If you think Neil Young or Bruce Springsteen continue to defy the odds by putting out excellent new material, Paul Weller proves himself to be at least their equal at the half-century mark.

Sleeper Cell is a local six-strong hip-hop group of emcees and producers going by the monikers of Keen, Abztract, Scorpo, Seyce, Silo, and Soulsauce. What's important, however, is not their names but their talent. Nicely produced by Jeff "Silo" Thomas (except for one track), their debut The Time Is Now sounds great, with live instrumentation and samples of keyboards, acoustic and electric guitars, glockenspiel-like bells, and flutes all contributing to the great grooves set down by the bass and drums. The title track opens the disc, with the group swapping the mic as they rap about the hip-hop staples of their goals as rappers and their love for the music, with all members joining in the chorus which states that now is their time to shine. Second track "Move Forward" puts forth a kicking beat and a beautiful scratching chorus that incorporates vocals cut and sampled to give a unique, stuttering feel that contrasts nicely with the song's soulful groove. The group also shows their lyrical talents here, as when they rap, "It's like I was born with a microphone cord instead of an umbilical/My life is lyrical/Music is a miracle. . . .Always hustling, never stopping/Moving forward ain't no problem". "Best Effort" features a slower groove paired with fast rapping which plays off a nice woodblock-like percussion line, with the chorus taking a neo-soul approach courtesy of guest emcee Lyndah Sayyah. Again, great lyrics are present as they spit, "I'm walking through the night/Developing my flow/My best foot is right/Because it's steppin' towards my goals". "Getting Silly" has the aforementioned flute sample and a great bass line, the combination of which conveys an appropriately "floating" feel to a song about the joys of smoking dope. With all this talent present, it is unfortunate the group does mar a few of their songs by focusing on the standard rap misogyny of "ho's" and "bitches". That aside, this is a brilliant debut by a group that demands listening to at present and watching in the future.