Music review: Van Morrison – 鈥榁ersatile鈥�
The title of Van Morrison鈥檚 latest album says it all. 鈥淰ersatile鈥� is the 72-year-old singer-songwriter鈥檚 38th studio release and displays yet another side of the music legend鈥檚 ability to master any musical style.
鈥淰ersatile鈥� comes only three short months after Morrison鈥檚 marvelous collection of R&B and blues tracks delivered on 鈥淩oll with the Punches鈥� and finds Morrison in a relaxed state of mind by performing an intimate set of jazz standards that originally inspired Morrison to become a singer. The material also includes a handful of the artist鈥檚 reworked arrangements as well as a few original cuts.
I鈥檝e been a fan of the Irish artist since first hearing 1970鈥檚 鈥淢oondance鈥� with its fluent blending of soul, blues, R&B and folk highlighted on classic tracks such as 鈥淎nd It Stoned Me,鈥� 鈥淐aravan,鈥� 鈥淚nto the Mystic鈥� and 鈥淕lad Tidings.鈥�
While Morrison鈥檚 smooth voice is perfectly suited for memorable arrangements like George and Ira Gershwin鈥檚 鈥淎 Foggy Day,鈥� Walter Donaldson and Gus Kahn鈥檚 鈥淢akin鈥� Whoopee鈥� and Cole Porter鈥檚 鈥淚 Get a Kick Out of You,鈥� the singer鈥檚 warm style simply shines on the Morrison-penned numbers 鈥淏roken Record鈥� and 鈥淭ake It Easy Baby.鈥�
For me, the highlight of the album comes on refreshed performances of Morrison鈥檚 own 鈥淚 Forgot That Love Existed,鈥� 鈥淪tart All Over Again鈥� and 鈥淥nly a Dream,鈥� showcasing his songwriting prowess during an iconic career that includes the crafting of over 400 songs.
The instrumental tracks 鈥淪kye Boat Song鈥� and 鈥淎ffirmation鈥� are gorgeously composed as the former finds Morrison on alto sax and the latter featuring Sir James Galway on flute.
Morrison gives Tony Bennett a run for his money with a smooth and sophisticated cover of 鈥淚 Left My Heart in San Francisco鈥� as versions of 鈥淟et鈥檚 Get Lost鈥� and 鈥淏ye Bye Blackbird鈥� offer up a sophisticated charm that Morrison has done so well for over 50 years.
鈥淰ersatile鈥� is the perfect soundtrack for a long winter鈥檚 night. Sit back and enjoy this one as Morrison sets a nostalgic mood and slowly erases the air鈥檚 chill by warming the heart.
Clint Rhodes is the 缅北禁地 music reviewer. He can be reached at clinton43@me.com.