TAS Super LP List! Special Merit: Informal
Studio Album Number 40 On Double LP!Van Morrison's creative juices just keep on flowing leading him to release his 40th album "The Prophet Speaks".
"Over the years, Van Morrison has been astonishingly prolific, pumping out albums like a fruit machine dispenses coins. And that output is only increasing: The Prophet Speaks is his fourth album in 14 months. So it's a joy to find Morrison, now 72, at the top of his craft with his 40th release. On its predecessor, You're Driving Me Crazy, he plundered the roots of his musical inspirations vocal jazz and rhythm and blues and The Prophet Speaks continues in its hallowed tread. Here, he takes on non-obvious blues classics by the likes of Sam Cooke and Willie Dixon, interspersed with six new tracks of his own. That reinterpretations and originals blend seamlessly is a testament to both the way Morrison makes classics his own and how deeply his compositions are infused with their sound, bolstered by his repeat collaboration with Pennsylvanian multi-instrumentalist Joey DeFrancesco. What's more, Morrison sounds like hes having a blast." - The Independent
"Morrisons voice is one of pop's most recognizable instruments, and it still sounds like a siren call. His phrasing and interplay with his band indicate not just a studying of each song's structure but a deep dive into their feelings as well. Even after so many decades, Morrison shows he's capable of pushing forward while continuing to look back at his own influences." - Time
"Anyone who may fear that the law of diminishing returns might be setting in should be prepared for a shock. On The Prophet Speaks, Morrison sounds as lively, vivacious and committed as any time in his career. He's positively giddy when slinging out these eight covers and six originals accompanied by the same band from his previous disc. Keyboardist Joey DeFrancesco and his tight-knit three-piece provide the hip-shaking, finger-popping jazz, blues and pop backing as Morrison kicks classics from Willie Dixon ('I Love the Life I Live'), John Lee Hooker ('Dimples'), Eddie 'Cleanhead' Vinson ('Gonna Send you Back to Where I Got You From') and Solomon Burke ('Got to Get You Off of My Mind' with daughter Shana singing backup) into swinging high gear. He finds obscurities in J.D. Harris, covering two of his songs, unwinds on Sam Cooke's seldom heard slow-blues 'Laughin' and Clownin'', with help from a feisty guitar solo by Dan Wilson, and bops his way through a spirited 'Love is a Five Letter Word' ('spelled M-O-N-E-Y' is the rest of the chorus), with the fizzy energy of someone half his age. His energy along with a tight, motivated band is contagious, jumping out of the speakers with sparkling colors. It's impossible to not get caught up in the sheer joy exuded by Morrison and company as he cranks out yet another winner in a bulging catalog filled with them." - American Songwriter
Features:
• Double LP
• Gatefold jacket
• Made in Netherlands
Selections:
Side A:
1. Gonna Send You Back To Where I Got You From
2. Dimples
3. Got To Go Where The Love Is
4. Laughin And Clownin
Side B:
5. 5am Greenwich Mean Time
6. Gotta Get You Off My Mind
7. Teardrops
Side C:
8. I Love The Life I Live
9. Worried Blues / Rollin And Tumblin
10. Aint Gonna Moan No More
Side D:
11. Love Is A Five Letter Word
12. Love Is Hard work
13. Spirit Will Provide
14. The Prophet Speaks
