Van Morrison - Down The Road
Wednesday, May 08, 2002
Brian Wise
Like an old comfortable pair of slippers, the new Van Morrison album contains few surprises other than the fact that the artist still rolls along with seeming ease, an elegant sound and a relaxed if slightly melancholy air.
It seems like it is damning the album with faint praise to say that it is another solid, enjoyable effort from the Van The Man but it is probably apt. His fans like putting on those old slippers and Morrison obliges � there are no jarring moments just Van sailing above the band, sounding as good as ever and, no doubt, as pleased as punch with his new record deal (which has probably given him a windfall for his back catalogue as well).
Propelled by Morrison�s distinctive voice (which takes a bluesy turn on quite a few occasions here) and a superlative band, Down The Road is the sort of unassuming album that begs to played from start to finish. At times you think you have heard some of the songs before, especially those which start with the trademark Van harmonica part, but they slowly unfold with their own character � you just need to give them time.
It really is a little deceptive. Morrison does what he does with so much ease that it tends to disguise the creative effort that must have gone into the album. While some of his peers have recently extended themselves to varying degrees, Morrison�s sound is pretty much established and he has not ventured too far from it in recent years. Apart from his album last year with Linda Gail Lewis and a few albums that have leaned a little more strongly towards either towards blues (Too Long In Exile), jazz (How Long Has This Been Going On) or Celtic (Irish Heartbeat), Morrison has trodden a mostly familiar path.
Where Dylan has made Time Out Of Mind and Love & Theft, Joni Mitchell has recorded an album of classic ballads, Bonnie Raitt has incorporated some African influences, Taj Mahal has had his Hula Blues Band and Neil Young�s latest captures some Memphis soul stew, Van Morrison seems to be fairly happy where he is and is unlikely to move in a hurry.
However, for what it�s worth, I would argue that given the standout track here is the Sam Cooke-sounding �Hey Mr.DJ� Van could make a fantastic soul and r&b album if the fancy took him. This is one of the best things Morrison has recorded in years: the strings swell and the backing singers help create a mood taken straight from the early '60s. It is a song that, had it appeared on Moondance or Tupelo Honey, would have been considered a classic.
Perhaps some of Morrison�s most interesting works in the past few years have been on the tribute albums on which he has appeared - as he has recently on the Sun Records salute Good Rockin� Tonight and Timeless, the Hank Williams tribute. On these outside projects Morrison seems to be able to cut loose with a little more abandon than on his own albums and, at times, it would be nice if he could have done so here. The sound is uniformly restrained � beautiful but restrained. At first you wish that someone had sneaked into the studio and kicked him in the ankle. But while, superficially at least, the album glides along, I found that the more listened the more each song built its own character and emerged more clearly. (One secret is to play this album as loud as possible!)
�I�ve got the blues from way down in New Orleans,� sings Morrison on the title track which opens the album; but really he has the blues from his own Irishness as well. After all, one of the songs is �What Makes The Irish Hearbeat?� But the blues definitely makes a strong appearance in one form or another � whether it is a John Lee Hooker styled grumble on �Talk Is Cheap� (a familiar Morrison theme), the jazzier numbers such as �Meet Me In The Indian Summer,� �All Work Or No Play,� �Choppin� Wood,� or the funky �Whatever Happened To P.J.Proby� and the cover of (Acker Bilk�s?) �Evening Shadows.�
On the other hand �Steal My Heart Away� is a magnificent ballad and is joined by �The Beauty of Days Gone By,� �Only A Dream,� �Fast Train� and a fine rendition of �Georgia On My Mind� to create an alternate mood. It is as if the two sides of Morrison�s persona � the raunchy blues and the quietly introspective - sit neatly side by side.
How much you enjoy Down The Road will ultimately depend on how much of a Van Morrison fan you are. It is a little like preaching to the converted. But if you are a member of the church of Van, the good news is that your old slippers are at the door!
Review of Van Morrsion's "Down The Road"
B
BrianWise
(view)
Van Morrison - Down The Road
Wednesday, May 08, 2002
Brian Wise
Like an old comfortable pair of slippers, the new Van Morrison album contains few surprises other than the fact that the artist still rolls along with seeming ease, an elegant sound and a relaxed if slightly melancholy air.
It seems like it is damning the album with faint praise to say that it is another solid, enjoyable effort from the Van The Man but it is probably apt. His fans like putting on those old slippers and Morrison obliges � there are no jarring moments just Van sailing above the band, sounding as good as ever and, no doubt, as pleased as punch with his new record deal (which has probably given him a windfall for his back catalogue as well).
Propelled by Morrison�s distinctive voice (which takes a bluesy turn on quite a few occasions here) and a superlative band, Down The Road is the sort of unassuming album that begs to played from start to finish. At times you think you have heard some of the songs before, especially those which start with the trademark Van harmonica part, but they slowly unfold with their own character � you just need to give them time.
It really is a little deceptive. Morrison does what he does with so much ease that it tends to disguise the creative effort that must have gone into the album. While some of his peers have recently extended themselves to varying degrees, Morrison�s sound is pretty much established and he has not ventured too far from it in recent years. Apart from his album last year with Linda Gail Lewis and a few albums that have leaned a little more strongly towards either towards blues (Too Long In Exile), jazz (How Long Has This Been Going On) or Celtic (Irish Heartbeat), Morrison has trodden a mostly familiar path.
Where Dylan has made Time Out Of Mind and Love & Theft, Joni Mitchell has recorded an album of classic ballads, Bonnie Raitt has incorporated some African influences, Taj Mahal has had his Hula Blues Band and Neil Young�s latest captures some Memphis soul stew, Van Morrison seems to be fairly happy where he is and is unlikely to move in a hurry.
However, for what it�s worth, I would argue that given the standout track here is the Sam Cooke-sounding �Hey Mr.DJ� Van could make a fantastic soul and r&b album if the fancy took him. This is one of the best things Morrison has recorded in years: the strings swell and the backing singers help create a mood taken straight from the early '60s. It is a song that, had it appeared on Moondance or Tupelo Honey, would have been considered a classic.
Perhaps some of Morrison�s most interesting works in the past few years have been on the tribute albums on which he has appeared - as he has recently on the Sun Records salute Good Rockin� Tonight and Timeless, the Hank Williams tribute. On these outside projects Morrison seems to be able to cut loose with a little more abandon than on his own albums and, at times, it would be nice if he could have done so here. The sound is uniformly restrained � beautiful but restrained. At first you wish that someone had sneaked into the studio and kicked him in the ankle. But while, superficially at least, the album glides along, I found that the more listened the more each song built its own character and emerged more clearly. (One secret is to play this album as loud as possible!)
�I�ve got the blues from way down in New Orleans,� sings Morrison on the title track which opens the album; but really he has the blues from his own Irishness as well. After all, one of the songs is �What Makes The Irish Hearbeat?� But the blues definitely makes a strong appearance in one form or another � whether it is a John Lee Hooker styled grumble on �Talk Is Cheap� (a familiar Morrison theme), the jazzier numbers such as �Meet Me In The Indian Summer,� �All Work Or No Play,� �Choppin� Wood,� or the funky �Whatever Happened To P.J.Proby� and the cover of (Acker Bilk�s?) �Evening Shadows.�
On the other hand �Steal My Heart Away� is a magnificent ballad and is joined by �The Beauty of Days Gone By,� �Only A Dream,� �Fast Train� and a fine rendition of �Georgia On My Mind� to create an alternate mood. It is as if the two sides of Morrison�s persona � the raunchy blues and the quietly introspective - sit neatly side by side.
How much you enjoy Down The Road will ultimately depend on how much of a Van Morrison fan you are. It is a little like preaching to the converted. But if you are a member of the church of Van, the good news is that your old slippers are at the door!
Wednesday, May 08, 2002
Brian Wise
Like an old comfortable pair of slippers, the new Van Morrison album contains few surprises other than the fact that the artist still rolls along with seeming ease, an elegant sound and a relaxed if slightly melancholy air.
It seems like it is damning the album with faint praise to say that it is another solid, enjoyable effort from the Van The Man but it is probably apt. His fans like putting on those old slippers and Morrison obliges � there are no jarring moments just Van sailing above the band, sounding as good as ever and, no doubt, as pleased as punch with his new record deal (which has probably given him a windfall for his back catalogue as well).
Propelled by Morrison�s distinctive voice (which takes a bluesy turn on quite a few occasions here) and a superlative band, Down The Road is the sort of unassuming album that begs to played from start to finish. At times you think you have heard some of the songs before, especially those which start with the trademark Van harmonica part, but they slowly unfold with their own character � you just need to give them time.
It really is a little deceptive. Morrison does what he does with so much ease that it tends to disguise the creative effort that must have gone into the album. While some of his peers have recently extended themselves to varying degrees, Morrison�s sound is pretty much established and he has not ventured too far from it in recent years. Apart from his album last year with Linda Gail Lewis and a few albums that have leaned a little more strongly towards either towards blues (Too Long In Exile), jazz (How Long Has This Been Going On) or Celtic (Irish Heartbeat), Morrison has trodden a mostly familiar path.
Where Dylan has made Time Out Of Mind and Love & Theft, Joni Mitchell has recorded an album of classic ballads, Bonnie Raitt has incorporated some African influences, Taj Mahal has had his Hula Blues Band and Neil Young�s latest captures some Memphis soul stew, Van Morrison seems to be fairly happy where he is and is unlikely to move in a hurry.
However, for what it�s worth, I would argue that given the standout track here is the Sam Cooke-sounding �Hey Mr.DJ� Van could make a fantastic soul and r&b album if the fancy took him. This is one of the best things Morrison has recorded in years: the strings swell and the backing singers help create a mood taken straight from the early '60s. It is a song that, had it appeared on Moondance or Tupelo Honey, would have been considered a classic.
Perhaps some of Morrison�s most interesting works in the past few years have been on the tribute albums on which he has appeared - as he has recently on the Sun Records salute Good Rockin� Tonight and Timeless, the Hank Williams tribute. On these outside projects Morrison seems to be able to cut loose with a little more abandon than on his own albums and, at times, it would be nice if he could have done so here. The sound is uniformly restrained � beautiful but restrained. At first you wish that someone had sneaked into the studio and kicked him in the ankle. But while, superficially at least, the album glides along, I found that the more listened the more each song built its own character and emerged more clearly. (One secret is to play this album as loud as possible!)
�I�ve got the blues from way down in New Orleans,� sings Morrison on the title track which opens the album; but really he has the blues from his own Irishness as well. After all, one of the songs is �What Makes The Irish Hearbeat?� But the blues definitely makes a strong appearance in one form or another � whether it is a John Lee Hooker styled grumble on �Talk Is Cheap� (a familiar Morrison theme), the jazzier numbers such as �Meet Me In The Indian Summer,� �All Work Or No Play,� �Choppin� Wood,� or the funky �Whatever Happened To P.J.Proby� and the cover of (Acker Bilk�s?) �Evening Shadows.�
On the other hand �Steal My Heart Away� is a magnificent ballad and is joined by �The Beauty of Days Gone By,� �Only A Dream,� �Fast Train� and a fine rendition of �Georgia On My Mind� to create an alternate mood. It is as if the two sides of Morrison�s persona � the raunchy blues and the quietly introspective - sit neatly side by side.
How much you enjoy Down The Road will ultimately depend on how much of a Van Morrison fan you are. It is a little like preaching to the converted. But if you are a member of the church of Van, the good news is that your old slippers are at the door!
