Record Reviews

VAN MORRISON ~ ACCENTUATE THE POSITIVE EXILE 044003369580 (Barcode: 044003369580) ~ IRELAND ~ Pop & Rock Recorded: 2023 Released: 2023 This is the 45th studio album by the legendary Northern Irish singer / songwriter Van MorrisonFind albums by this artist. The album presents nineteen tracks, all of which are Morrison’s take on Rock And Roll, Rhythm And Blues and Country songs, written by others, similar to his previous album dedicated to Skiffle. He is accompanied by a team of excellent instrumentalists, who played on his latest recordings, which includes organist Richard DunnFind albums by this artist, pianist Stuart McIlroyFind albums by this artist, guitarist Dave KearyFind albums by this artist, bassist Pete HurleyFind albums by this artist, drummer Colin GriffinFind albums by this artist and a few other players and background vocalists. Despite his age (78 years young) Morrison is in great condition, full of vigor and creative powers and his vocal abilities are absolutely unblemished. This is the second time he returns to the music that fascinated him in his early days, and he does so with obvious love and affection. His arrangements and in some cases expansions of the original material are all tasteful and faithful to the original style, and as such work out splendidly. It is very difficult to find today an Artists, who is able to maintain a career for six decades, without losing any of its momentum, quality or good taste and Morrison surely deserves our appreciation for keeping the flame burning. His ability to cross genres at will, always remaining relevant, is absolutely precious. Overall, this is another great album by a great Artists, who manages to remain relevant and creative as the time passes by. Morrison pushes aside all fads and fashions and remains true only to himself, doing what he does best, i.e. singing his heart out. Regardless if you like early Rock at all, this music is both entertaining and valuable, in complete contrast to everything happening around. Well done, indeed!

Updated: 24/04/2024Posted: 24/04/2024

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VAN MORRISON ~ LATEST RECORD PROJECT VOLUME 1 EXILE 4050538667905 (Barcode: 4050538667905) ~ IRELAND ~ Classic Rock Recorded: 2020 Released: 2021 The COVID-19 pandemic paralyzed the music world almost completely for months on end, surely as far as live performances are concerned, but for many artists the period of seclusion and distancing was an opportunity for more intensive recording activity than ever before. Northern Irish iconic singer / songwriter Van MorrisonFind albums by this artist managed during the pandemic to record a whole 2CD album, his 42nd studio release, with no less than twenty-eight new songs, all written (two co-written and one traditional) by him, a truly remarkable achievement for a 75 years old veteran. Morrison is surrounded by a fabulous team of instrumentalists, which includes organist Richard DunnFind albums by this artist, pianist Stuart McIlroyFind albums by this artist, guitarist Dave KearyFind albums by this artist, bassist Pete HurleyFind albums by this artist, drummer Colin GriffinFind albums by this artist and a few other players and background vocalist. Guitarist Jim MullenFind albums by this artist guests on a couple of songs and vocalists Chris FarloweFind albums by this artist and P.J. ProbyFind albums by this artist guests on one song each. The music is kept in a retro atmosphere, emphasized by the organ centered instrumental arrangements, all kept in the vein of a classic early Morrison, combining Blues, Country, Soul and Rhythm And Blues, but always completely filled with Morrison’s idiosyncrasy. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it is the name of the game here, and Morrison was always a Master of the game. Since personally I could never get enough of Morrison’s brilliant songwriting and superb delivery, this album surely is not going to break the pattern. I had a blast listening to these songs, and although there were no surprises within, we all had enough surprises in our lives lately, so Van, please don’t you ever change! God bless for being out there and for keeping the music same!

Updated: 11/11/2023Posted: 02/06/2021

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VAN MORRISON ~ MOVING ON SKIFFLE EXILE 602448191410 (Barcode: 602448191410) ~ IRELAND ~ Classic Rock Recorded: 2022 - 2023 Released: 2023 This is the 44th studio album by the legendary Northern Irish singer / songwriter Van MorrisonFind albums by this artist. The 2CD album presents 23 tracks, all of which are Morrison’s take on Skiffle songs, either traditional or written by others. He is accompanied by a team of excellent instrumentalists, who played on his latest recordings, which includes organist Richard DunnFind albums by this artist, pianist Stuart McIlroyFind albums by this artist, guitarist Dave KearyFind albums by this artist, bassist Pete HurleyFind albums by this artist, drummer Colin GriffinFind albums by this artist and a few other players and background vocalists. Despite his age (77 years young) Morrison is in great condition, full of vigor and creative powers and his vocal abilities are absolutely unblemished. This is the second time he returns to the music that fascinated him in his early days, and he does so with obvious love and affection. His arrangements and in some cases expansions of the original material are all tasteful and faithful to the original style, and as such work out splendidly. It is very difficult to find today an Artists, who is able to maintain a career for six decades, without losing any of its momentum, quality or good taste and Morrison surely deserves our appreciation for keeping the flame burning. His ability to cross genres at will, always remaining relevant, is absolutely precious. Overall, this is another great album by a great Artists, who manages to remain relevant and creative as the time passes by. Morrison pushes aside all fads and fashions and remains true only to himself, doing what he does best, i.e. singing his heart out. Regardless if you like early Rock / Skiffle at all, this music is both entertaining and valuable, in complete contrast to everything happening around. Well done, indeed!

Updated: 18/05/2023Posted: 18/05/2023

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VAN MORRISON ~ REMEMBERING NOW EXILE 044003445666 (Barcode: 044003445666) ~ IRELAND ~ Pop & Rock Recorded: 2025 Released: 2025 This is the 47th studio album by the legendary Northern Irish singer / songwriter Van MorrisonFind albums by this artist. The album presents fourteen tracks, which are all new songs, marking Morrison’s return to songwriting, after a series of albums with covers or reworking of old material. All the songs are originals composed by Morrison, with four songs featuring lyrics written by others. He is accompanied by a core group including organist Richard DunnFind albums by this artist, drummer Colin GriffinFind albums by this artist, bassist Pete HurleyFind albums by this artist, pianist Stuart McIlroyFind albums by this artist and guitarist Dave KearyFind albums by this artist. Many other instrumentalists guest on selected tracks. Although some brass arrangements are present, this album misses Morrison’s affinity to Jazz and the music stays within the Pop / Rock / Folk environment. The material offers the usual level of excellence, which he never ceases to deliver. Despite his advanced age, Morrison is still in great shape and hopefully will still continue to record new material in years to come. Overall, this is a collection of new material, with the usual level of excellence, which is absolutely still here and it is a great pleasure to be able to listen to this music. Although the album was severely criticized by “music critics”, for me it as good as anything Morrison released before. Keep it coming!

Updated: 08/12/2025Posted: 08/12/2025

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