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Monday, May 26,2008

Van Morrison

Keep It Simple (Lost Highway)

By Todd Lazarski

  Van Morrison's explorations into Americana continue on Keep It Simple, a follow-up to the jazzy What's WrongWith This Picture? and, more recently, the country escapades of Pay the Devil. And with residual elements of each—the B-3 organ of the former, the dobro twang of the latter—Morrison adds a Ray Charles-esque backing choir for a return to his blue-eyed soul roots.

  It's a mostly meditative, groove-centered song workout, with sprawling verses but a tight, polished band that Van truly lets go to work. And while nobody will ever mistake the poetry of an almost-gem like "Lover Come Back" as a cut from Astral Weeks, the unmistakable traces of the hungry Belfast cowboy that once was can still be heard. The soulful timbre, Celtic drawl and uncanny ability to ooze emotion and a song out of a repeated phrase—"That's Entrainment"—remind fans why they still need to reserve rack-space for the seemingly annual occurrence of a new Morrison release.

  Of course, by the time he gets around to groaningly defining soul on "Soul," the late-night vibe Morrison strives for may feel more like an after-hours wine-and-cheese soiree than the juke joints he used to visit. But, as he rationalizes aging in "Don't Go to Nightclubs Anymore," that may be the point.

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WEB SHERIFF Protecting Your Rights on the Internet Tel 44-(0)208-323 8013 Fax 44-(0)208-323 8080 websheriff@websheriff.com www.websheriff.com Hi Todd / EM, On behalf of Exile Productions and Exile Publishing, many thanks for plugging Van Morrison and, if you / your readers want good quality, non-pirated, preview tracks from Van’s new album – “Keep It Simple” - full versions of "That's Entrainment" and "Behind The Ritual" (along with album track samplers) are available for fans and bloggers to link on Lost Highway's web-site at http://www.losthighwayrecords.com . Up-to-the-minute info on Keep It Simple and Van’s 2008 shows is, of course, also available on www.vanmorrison.com and www.myspace.com/vanmorrison and, for a limited period, you can still hear Van's exclusive BBC concert at http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/aod/radio2_aod.shtml?radio2/r2_vanmorrison and you can also see his BBC sessions at http://www.bbc.co.uk/musictv/vanmorrison/video/ . Thanks again for your support. Regards, WEB SHERIFF
 
 
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