Few artists can rival the scope of the musical output and talent of the Irish singer/songwriter Van Morrison. He is arguably one of the best vocalists of the pop/rock era. While many music critics would not put him in the same exalted place as a Frank Sinatra or an Ella Fitzgerald, it is the mastery of those singers that Morrison has strived to reach. The influence of Ray Charles and other R&B and jazz artists has also set the bar high for Morrison. Morrison’s talents also include his writing almost all of the material on his 42 albums, along with playing a variety of instruments.
It’s unfortunate that Morrison’s early works, particularly his albums Astral Weeks and Moondance and such hits as “Brown Eyed Girl” and “Gloria,” have overshadowed some of his other extraordinary albums and songs. Accurately describing Morrison’s music as a whole is a challenge. It’s obviously based on pre-rock styles such as R&B, jazz, folk, country and the crooner’s American songbook. However, there is also a distinctly unique rock ‘n’ roll sound that Morrison himself created and sometimes still explores, that was part of the foundation of much of the rock music that came out in the early ’60s and was at its popular album peak in the ’70s.
One of the most remarkable aspects of Morrison’s recent music is that, even at 75, his voice has not lost any of the luster, power, or sheer splendor that puts him in a class all by himself. This is evident on his latest release, Latest Record Project, Volume 1. The 28-track release is available as a two-CD set, or as a three-album, tri-fold vinyl package with a perfect-bound lyric book through Exile/BMG.
While musically the album is an uncluttered, live-sounding trip through Morrison’s rapturous R&B/jazz bag, lyrically some of the songs reflect a side of Morrison’s music that is honest but that doesn’t always endear him to a record industry and corporate media showbiz machine, of which he has been typically scornful. This is nothing new for Morrison. He can be a cantankerous, bitter and angry man who doesn’t suffer fools gladly. He’s not so much a diva as he is so dedicated to his art that any intrusion by the record business and the media is reason enough for him to become thoroughly disgusted.
While the music doesn’t reflect this anger, song titles on this new album like “No Good Deed Goes Unpunished,” “Tried To Do the Right Thing,” “The Long Con,” “Big Lie,” “Diabolic Pressure,” “They Own the Media,” and “Why Are You On Facebook?” should give one insight into Morrison’s current state of mind. Just the fact that he called this album Latest Record Project reflects an indifference toward the industry that’s callous.
Morrison views the record industry as someone might view organized crime. He’s been ripped off, misunderstood, dropped by record labels, and sometimes treated by his audience as an artist whose work after 1980 is not worthy of interest, no matter how good it is. Morrison’s bitterness has rarely reached such a boiling point as on the 28 songs here, but given the state of popular music and culture today, who could blame him? With autotune rampant and the number of twitter followers a musician has often more important than actual talent or originality, Morrison’s stance is actually quite refreshing.
Unfortunately, he’s also made his feelings about not being able to perform live, due to Covid restrictions, part of his rants against injustice. Given the science behind social distancing, wearing a mask and getting vaccinated, Morrison may have simply picked the wrong side of a fight. He has found an ally in Eric Clapton, who has also been vocal about not being able to perform because of health restrictions and who had a terrible reaction to being vaccinated. The two have joined forces on a remake “Where Have All the Rebels Gone?,” one of the tracks on this new album. It’s a perfect collaboration and there is a well-conceived video. It’s hard to be mad at these two grizzled rockers for their misguided stance on this issue, especially given that Clapton became sick from taking the Moderna shot.
Getting back to the music, there are few artists that could come up with 28 near-perfect tracks as Morrison has done here. One of the few times there’s a touch of the old Morrison sound is on “Psychoanalyst’s Ball,” which musically recalls “Warm Love,” a track from Morrison’s 1973 album Hard Nose the Highway. There are several times when his affection for the music of Ray Charles shines through such as on “Tried To Do the Right Thing” and “The Long Con.” The former also has a little doo-wop vocal approach, a style evocatively echoed elsewhere on this release.
Morrison’s influences are also revealed on “Mistaken Identity,” with its B.B. King guitar feel and “Stop Bitching, Do Something,” which recalls Buddy Holly. On some of the tracks that have distinct vocal harmony backup vocals, a Jordinaires feel is evident. Once again, as on recent albums, Morrison has invited one of his contemporaries to perform a duet—in this case R&B Brit vocalist Chris Farlowe, who sings on “Big Lie.”
This is Morrison’s longest studio album. Other long albums of his include Hymns to the Silence from 1991, which was a double CD of 21 songs, and his 2019 release Three Chords and the Truth, available as a double vinyl album. It’s quite an experience listening to all 28 tracks in a row and wondering how the man can maintain such a high level of music over so many songs. With albums like this, Morrison truly outshines many younger musicians on the charts these days, who would be hard-pressed to come up with five flawless tracks on an album, let alone 28. It will be interesting to see what he comes up with on volume 2.
The man’s mastery over his art and his life-and-death dedication to getting it right almost all of the time are nothing short of miraculous. Van Morrison may have seen some hard times, but given yet another release of such a high level of excellence, it seems the well may never run dry.
GRADED ON A CURVE:
B+
