| Van Morrison — The Prophet Speaks (7th Dec. 2018) |
Van Morrison — The Prophet Speaks (7th Dec., 2018)
•≡≡• Znovu využívá značné talenty: Joey DeFrancesca a členů jeho kapely. Výsledky jsou impozantní a 73letý Morrison se soustředil na pocit a texturu každé písně, spíše než by hledal odhalení, natahovací, rozšiřující se crescenda některých jeho dřívějších prací. Zdá se, že našel styl, který mu vzhledem k věku vyhovuje. Směs nástrojů, včetně Hammond varhan a hornů, které bylo možno slyšet v pozdních padesátých letech minulého století, ale dnes už zní úplně svěže, Češi převzali výraz ‘fresh’. Existuje několik jednoduchých předělávek starých favoritů, včetně „Dimples“ od John Lee Hookera a „Gotta Get You Off My Mind“ od Solomona Burkeho, které nechávají Morrisona vzdávat hold zesnulým umělcům, s nimiž sdílel původní éru. Půl tuctu nových písní, včetně „Spirit Will Provide“ a titulní skladby, vykouzlí Morrisonův více mystický přístup k textům a aranžím. Ještě víc přesvědčivé je, že „Ain’t Gonna Moan No More“, Morrisonův originál, který slibuje, takřka s přísahou, své často stěžující, lítostivé, sebesoucitné způsoby a vzdává pocty velikánům, kteří mu předcházeli, včetně Muddy Waterse, Hookera a v určité intenzitě, upřímnosti a důkladnosti i Louisi Armstrongovi.
•≡≡• Ale chtěl jsem říct něco s větším důrazem: první věc, kterou dřívější posluchači Van Morrisona zaznamenají, je nedostatek úzkosti — jeho 40. studiovému albu chybí obvyklé stížnosti na chamtivost a cynismus hudebního byznysu. Dalším a nejpozoruhodnějším aspektem je uvolněná, relaxační, ve westu by řekli — „easy groove“ nálada, která proniká skrze závěrečnou „The Prophet Speaks“ (4:56), kde pozoruji, že Morrison si vychutnává svou relativně nedávnou inkarnaci jakožto jazzového zpěváka, podepřenou expresivní, náladotvornou kapelou.
↑ The Prophet Speaks is Van Morrison’s 40th studio album. LP features six new songs alongside classic covers.
Birth name: George Ivan Morrison
Also known as: Van the Man; The Belfast Cowboy
Born: 31 August 1945 at 125 Hynford Street, Bloomfield, East Belfast, Northern Ireland
Origin: Belfast, Northern Ireland
Genres: Genre: Rhythm & Blues
Occupations: Singer~songwriter, musician
Instruments: Vocals, guitar, harmonica, saxophones, keyboards, drums, tambourine, ukulele
Location: Belfast ~ New York ~ London’s Notting Hill Gate area ~ Bath ~ Dalkey near Dublin
Album release: 7th December, 2018
Record Label: Exile/Legacy/Caroline International P&D
Duration: 69:10
Tracks:
Side A:
01 Gonna Send You Back To Where I Got You From 4:41
02 Dimples 5:34
03 Got To Go Where The Love Is 4:25
04 Laughin’ And Clownin’ 5:33
Side B:
05 5 am Greenwich Mean Time 5:38
06 Gotta Get You Off My Mind 3:45
07 Teardrops 6:01
Side C:
08 I Love The Life I Live 3:37
09 Worried Blues / Rollin’ And Tumblin 6:24
10 Ain’t Gonna Moan No More 6:17
Side D:
11 Love Is A Five Letter Word 3:46
12 Love Is Hard Work 4:29
13 Spirit Will Provide 4:04
14 The Prophet Speaks 4:56
℗ 2018 Exile Productions Ltd.
Written by:
↑ Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson, Leona Blackman 1
↑ John Lee Hooker, James Bracken 2
↑ Van Morrison 3, 5, 10, 12, 13, 14
↑ Sam Cooke 4
↑ Solomon Burke, Delores Burke, Josephine Burke Moore 6
↑ J.D. Harris 7, 9
↑ Willie Dixon 8
↑ Gene Barge 11
Credits:
↑ Acoustic Bass — Troy Roberts (tracks: A1, B2, B3, C3, D3, D4)
↑ Acoustic Guitar — Dan Wilson (tracks: D4)
↑ Backing Vocals — Shana Morrison (tracks: D3)
↑ Design — Paperjam Design
↑ Drums — Michael Ode
↑ Electric Guitar — Dan Wilson (tracks: A1 to D3)
↑ Engineer [Assistant] — Jason Victorine, Joel Jaffe, Kenny Evans
↑ Keyboards — Joey DeFrancesco (tracks: A3, B3, D3)
↑ Organ — Joey DeFrancesco (tracks: A1, A2, A4, B1, B2, C1, C2, C3, D1, D2 D4)
↑ Photography — Richard Wade
↑ Producer — Joey DeFrancesco, Van Morrison
↑ Recorded, Mixed, Mastered — Jim Stern
↑ Soprano Saxophone — Troy Roberts (tracks: A1, A3, C2, D2)
↑ Tambourine — Jim Stern
↑ Tenor Saxophone — Troy Roberts (tracks: A1, A2, A3, B1, B2, C1, D1)
↑ Tour Manager, Production Manager — Pete Parsons
↑ Trumpet — Joey DeFrancesco (tracks: A1, A3, C3, D4)
↑ Vocals — Van Morrison
•≡≡• Recorded at — Studio D
•≡≡• Mastered at — Mesa Recording
Review
Written By Hal Horowitz // December 3, 2018 // Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
★↑ Yet another winner in a bulging catalog filled with them.
★↑ The days when we had to wait a whole year for a new Van Morrison disc seem so far in the rearview mirror as to be ancient history. The singer~songwriter, and lately master interpreter, has been cranking out product at an alarming rate. His new 40th release is his second in 2018. It comes after two others in 2017 which makes this the most productive the 73~year~old Morrison has ever been. They are long, too, over an hour each, providing bang for the buck.
★↑ 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.
★↑ The originals may not be future classics or hold a candle to “Into the Mystic” or “Moondance” (although the walking bass of “5AM Greenwich Mean Time” borrows a similar jazzy vibe), but in this set songs such as the Sam Cooke~influenced “Spirit Will Provide” and the Bobby “Blue” Bland~inspired soul/blues of “Got to Go Where the Love Is” sound fresh and rousing. Morrison lets out bubbly shouts of “yeah,” “aw~right,” “oooh!” and “huh” giving these performances the appearance of being recorded live in the studio.
★↑ 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. ★↑ https://americansongwriter.com/
About:
★↑ This fourteen track album follows a recent run of hugely acclaimed albums (Roll With The Punches, Versatile and You’re Driving Me Crazy), each of which has delved deep into the musical styles that have continued to inspire Van throughout his life — vocal jazz and R&B. Here, Van takes on a series of unarguable classics by the likes of John Lee Hooker, Sam Cooke and Solomon Burke (among others) and makes them unmistakably his own. Alongside these reinterpretations, The Prophet Speaks features six phenomenal new Van Morrison compositions.
★↑ “It was important for me to get back to recording new music as well as doing some of the blues material that has inspired me from the beginning. Writing songs and making music is what I do, and working with great musicians makes it all the more enjoyable.”
★↑ Van Morrison says of The Prophet Speaks:
„The Prophet Speaks again finds Van working with the incredible multi~instrumentalist Joey DeFrancesco (the artist co~credited on You’re Driving Me Crazy) and his band (including Dan Wilson on guitar, Michael Ode on drums and Troy Roberts on tenor saxophone).“
Website: https://www.vanmorrison.com/music/versatile
Twitter: https://twitter.com/vanmorrison
_____________________________________________________________
| Van Morrison — The Prophet Speaks (7th Dec. 2018) |
•≡≡• Znovu využívá značné talenty: Joey DeFrancesca a členů jeho kapely. Výsledky jsou impozantní a 73letý Morrison se soustředil na pocit a texturu každé písně, spíše než by hledal odhalení, natahovací, rozšiřující se crescenda některých jeho dřívějších prací. Zdá se, že našel styl, který mu vzhledem k věku vyhovuje. Směs nástrojů, včetně Hammond varhan a hornů, které bylo možno slyšet v pozdních padesátých letech minulého století, ale dnes už zní úplně svěže, Češi převzali výraz ‘fresh’. Existuje několik jednoduchých předělávek starých favoritů, včetně „Dimples“ od John Lee Hookera a „Gotta Get You Off My Mind“ od Solomona Burkeho, které nechávají Morrisona vzdávat hold zesnulým umělcům, s nimiž sdílel původní éru. Půl tuctu nových písní, včetně „Spirit Will Provide“ a titulní skladby, vykouzlí Morrisonův více mystický přístup k textům a aranžím. Ještě víc přesvědčivé je, že „Ain’t Gonna Moan No More“, Morrisonův originál, který slibuje, takřka s přísahou, své často stěžující, lítostivé, sebesoucitné způsoby a vzdává pocty velikánům, kteří mu předcházeli, včetně Muddy Waterse, Hookera a v určité intenzitě, upřímnosti a důkladnosti i Louisi Armstrongovi.
•≡≡• Ale chtěl jsem říct něco s větším důrazem: první věc, kterou dřívější posluchači Van Morrisona zaznamenají, je nedostatek úzkosti — jeho 40. studiovému albu chybí obvyklé stížnosti na chamtivost a cynismus hudebního byznysu. Dalším a nejpozoruhodnějším aspektem je uvolněná, relaxační, ve westu by řekli — „easy groove“ nálada, která proniká skrze závěrečnou „The Prophet Speaks“ (4:56), kde pozoruji, že Morrison si vychutnává svou relativně nedávnou inkarnaci jakožto jazzového zpěváka, podepřenou expresivní, náladotvornou kapelou.
↑ The Prophet Speaks is Van Morrison’s 40th studio album. LP features six new songs alongside classic covers.
Birth name: George Ivan Morrison
Also known as: Van the Man; The Belfast Cowboy
Born: 31 August 1945 at 125 Hynford Street, Bloomfield, East Belfast, Northern Ireland
Origin: Belfast, Northern Ireland
Genres: Genre: Rhythm & Blues
Occupations: Singer~songwriter, musician
Instruments: Vocals, guitar, harmonica, saxophones, keyboards, drums, tambourine, ukulele
Location: Belfast ~ New York ~ London’s Notting Hill Gate area ~ Bath ~ Dalkey near Dublin
Album release: 7th December, 2018
Record Label: Exile/Legacy/Caroline International P&D
Duration: 69:10
Tracks:
Side A:
01 Gonna Send You Back To Where I Got You From 4:41
02 Dimples 5:34
03 Got To Go Where The Love Is 4:25
04 Laughin’ And Clownin’ 5:33
Side B:
05 5 am Greenwich Mean Time 5:38
06 Gotta Get You Off My Mind 3:45
07 Teardrops 6:01
Side C:
08 I Love The Life I Live 3:37
09 Worried Blues / Rollin’ And Tumblin 6:24
10 Ain’t Gonna Moan No More 6:17
Side D:
11 Love Is A Five Letter Word 3:46
12 Love Is Hard Work 4:29
13 Spirit Will Provide 4:04
14 The Prophet Speaks 4:56
℗ 2018 Exile Productions Ltd.
Written by:
↑ Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson, Leona Blackman 1
↑ John Lee Hooker, James Bracken 2
↑ Van Morrison 3, 5, 10, 12, 13, 14
↑ Sam Cooke 4
↑ Solomon Burke, Delores Burke, Josephine Burke Moore 6
↑ J.D. Harris 7, 9
↑ Willie Dixon 8
↑ Gene Barge 11
Credits:
↑ Acoustic Bass — Troy Roberts (tracks: A1, B2, B3, C3, D3, D4)
↑ Acoustic Guitar — Dan Wilson (tracks: D4)
↑ Backing Vocals — Shana Morrison (tracks: D3)
↑ Design — Paperjam Design
↑ Drums — Michael Ode
↑ Electric Guitar — Dan Wilson (tracks: A1 to D3)
↑ Engineer [Assistant] — Jason Victorine, Joel Jaffe, Kenny Evans
↑ Keyboards — Joey DeFrancesco (tracks: A3, B3, D3)
↑ Organ — Joey DeFrancesco (tracks: A1, A2, A4, B1, B2, C1, C2, C3, D1, D2 D4)
↑ Photography — Richard Wade
↑ Producer — Joey DeFrancesco, Van Morrison
↑ Recorded, Mixed, Mastered — Jim Stern
↑ Soprano Saxophone — Troy Roberts (tracks: A1, A3, C2, D2)
↑ Tambourine — Jim Stern
↑ Tenor Saxophone — Troy Roberts (tracks: A1, A2, A3, B1, B2, C1, D1)
↑ Tour Manager, Production Manager — Pete Parsons
↑ Trumpet — Joey DeFrancesco (tracks: A1, A3, C3, D4)
↑ Vocals — Van Morrison
•≡≡• Recorded at — Studio D
•≡≡• Mastered at — Mesa Recording
Review
Written By Hal Horowitz // December 3, 2018 // Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
★↑ Yet another winner in a bulging catalog filled with them.
★↑ The days when we had to wait a whole year for a new Van Morrison disc seem so far in the rearview mirror as to be ancient history. The singer~songwriter, and lately master interpreter, has been cranking out product at an alarming rate. His new 40th release is his second in 2018. It comes after two others in 2017 which makes this the most productive the 73~year~old Morrison has ever been. They are long, too, over an hour each, providing bang for the buck.
★↑ 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.
★↑ The originals may not be future classics or hold a candle to “Into the Mystic” or “Moondance” (although the walking bass of “5AM Greenwich Mean Time” borrows a similar jazzy vibe), but in this set songs such as the Sam Cooke~influenced “Spirit Will Provide” and the Bobby “Blue” Bland~inspired soul/blues of “Got to Go Where the Love Is” sound fresh and rousing. Morrison lets out bubbly shouts of “yeah,” “aw~right,” “oooh!” and “huh” giving these performances the appearance of being recorded live in the studio.
★↑ 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. ★↑ https://americansongwriter.com/
About:
★↑ This fourteen track album follows a recent run of hugely acclaimed albums (Roll With The Punches, Versatile and You’re Driving Me Crazy), each of which has delved deep into the musical styles that have continued to inspire Van throughout his life — vocal jazz and R&B. Here, Van takes on a series of unarguable classics by the likes of John Lee Hooker, Sam Cooke and Solomon Burke (among others) and makes them unmistakably his own. Alongside these reinterpretations, The Prophet Speaks features six phenomenal new Van Morrison compositions.
★↑ “It was important for me to get back to recording new music as well as doing some of the blues material that has inspired me from the beginning. Writing songs and making music is what I do, and working with great musicians makes it all the more enjoyable.”
★↑ Van Morrison says of The Prophet Speaks:
„The Prophet Speaks again finds Van working with the incredible multi~instrumentalist Joey DeFrancesco (the artist co~credited on You’re Driving Me Crazy) and his band (including Dan Wilson on guitar, Michael Ode on drums and Troy Roberts on tenor saxophone).“
Website: https://www.vanmorrison.com/music/versatile
Twitter: https://twitter.com/vanmorrison
_____________________________________________________________