Van Morrison: New Arrangements And Duets - 2024

Upon this album's release, in late September 2024, many reviewers were seemingly falling over themselves to slag off this album, which contains fifteen jazzy re-workings of (comparatively) lesser-known Van Morrison songs (he is also joined by guests on quite a few of them). Anyway, the professionals seem to think - using all their cupboard is bare clichés about Morrison having lost his songwriting muse - that no matter who you are or however many albums you have been continuing to put out on an almost yearly basis you should be coming up with an album of new material at this stage in your career. Yes, The Rolling Stones put one out last year and Bruce Springsteen released some new stuff back in 2020 but Van Morrison has been releasing albums of new material right up to 2022 so he owes nothing to anyone. If he wants to release this then he has earned the right to do so.

Another thing that bugs them is that the previous two albums (Moving On Skiffle and Accentuate The Positive) were both albums of covers, so this has become ripe for "Morrison's muse has deserted him" moans. Why, they're almost moaning as much as Morrison did about Covid restrictions (embarrassingly and shamefully, by the way). I have to say, though, that the two opening titles, Ain't Gonna Moan No More and Broken Record were tailor-made for them to use as their first slingshots, weren't they?

Personally, I haven't got a problem with Morrison re-working some of his songs in his now typical jazzy, easy-listening style. I like the style first of all. Secondly, the musicianship and delivery is unsurprisingly top notch, and the sound quality is stunningly good. For me, it's a great, relaxing and sensually uplifting listen. Just as I'm feeling this, the journos will equally carry on with their "elevator music" stuff.

Each to their own I guess. I you are fan of the way Morrison does things, musically, then you're going to like it, as I do. I have trotted out this argument now for about the last ten years regarding his output, so sorry if I'm boring you. I'm not going to talk about each track, one by one. Basically, they're jazzy, there's lots of saxophone and Hammond organ. You get the picture? There's nothing wrong with it. I will give a shout out to the interpretation of I'll Be Your Lover Too from His Band & The Street Choir though.

Anyway, I take one listen to The Master's Eyes and I'm won over. Easily. An interesting exercise as well is to select all the originals and play them after playing this. This stands up ever so well. Indeed, the sound is much better in several cases.

So, there you go - and I didn't even use the word curmudgeonly once.

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