Review: Van Morrison – New Arrangements And Duets
Van Morrison – New Arrangements And Duets
Format: CD – Vinyl LP – Digital / Label: Virgin Music
Release: 2024
Text: Tom Wouters
Van Morrison is another artist who likes to delve into his richly filled archives, at least his record company does.
In 2014, Morrison recorded a number of his better-known songs in a new big band arrangement, but apparently did not think it was worth releasing them at the time. Understandable, because the recordings are not earth-shattering. The album ‘New Arrangements And Duets’ also includes recordings of duets with vocalists, recorded in 2018 and 2019.
It is these duets that make ‘New Arrangements And Duets’ worth listening to, especially the duets with jazz singers Kurt Elling (Ain’t Gonna Moan No More and Broken Record) and Curtis Stigers (Close Enough For Jazz). Morrison’s duet with soul singer Joss Stone in one of Morrison’s biggest hits Someone Like You, on the other hand, doesn’t really get off the ground.
The two duets with Willie Nelson (What’s Wrong With This Picture and Steal My Heart Away) do, but the two country duets are stylistically quite out of tune with the rest of the album.
The new big band arrangements create a pleasant jazzy atmosphere, especially in Only A Dream, So Quiet In Here, The Master’s Eye, So Complicated and Choppin’ Wood.
With ‘New Arrangements And Duets’, Virgin Records has released a nice lazy jazz album for the die-hard fans of Van The Man.
Tracks:
01. Ain’t Gonna Moan No More (duet with Kurt Elling)
02. Broken Record (duet with Kurt Elling)
03. Avalon of the Heart
04. Close Enough for Jazz (duet with Curtis Stigers)
05. I’ll Be Your Lover Too
06. Only a Dream
07. So Quiet in Here
08. Someone Like You (duet with Joss Stone)
09. The Beauty of the Days Gone By
10. The Master’s Eyes
11. So Complicated
12. Choppin’ Wood
13. You Gotta Make It Through the World
14. What’s Wrong with This Picture (duet with Willie Nelson)
15. Steal My Heart Away (duet with Willie Nelson)
Website: https://www.vanmorrison.com/