A full-fledged soul album,
The Cost of Loving illustrated why Paul Weller's star was rapidly declining in the late '80s. Filled with bland, professional soul-pop, few of the songs have memorable melodies and the band tends to meander through the slick arrangments. Weller's lyrics were self-important and under-developed, with only the hit single "It Didn't Matter" making a lasting impression among the undistinguished songs that comprised the majority of the album. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine