- Label
- Polydor
- Release date
- 17th March 2008
- Genre
- Blues / rock
- Buy this album
- Order CD
Form-proving album from bluesy rock legend
In an epic career which has spanned decades and many various styles, Van Morrison has carved himself a fairly enviable niche - first and foremost, possessor of one of the most interesting voices in modern music, and secondly, a formidable songwriting talent who can move across genres. However, on this album, his imprecation "keep it simple" could apply as much to the music as anything else - and it works in his favour.
From the album opener How Can A Poor Boy, where Morrison's unique growl is backed by whirling harmonica and rootsy blues guitars, through the charming Don't Go To Nightclubs Anymore, which does little to dispel his image as one of rock's curmudgeons but revels a little in this as well, to the organ-tinged shuffle of End Of The Land, he assembles fine musicians to focus on the genres he's found most solace in recently - blues, country, gospel-flavoured folk. Free from experimentation and pretence and secure in its audience, this album proves Morrison's enduring popularity, and is a welcome addition to an already bursting canon.
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