Van Morrison: Remembering Now (digital outlets)

It's likely that the vast majority of people who were there for Van Morrison in his first couple of decades have long since parted company: too many album, quite a number a bit indifferent then in recent times his unpopular political statements about Covid mandates, government oppression . . .

At least he had new targets because his constant complains about record companies (which dated back to the dawn of his career) were like silly old grudges most adults put behind them to carry on living.

The result is many would have missed Morrison's two recent albums where he went back to his roots with Moving on Skiffle and Accentuate the Positive.

They were hardly groundbreaking as he covered skiffle and pre-rock'n'roll era songs. But they were well worth hearing.

However -- as when Bob Dylan seemed a spent force by the early Nineties when he offered traditional folk covers on Good As I Been to You and World Gone Wrong only to re-emerge invigorated with Time Out of Mind – so Morrison seems to have rediscovered his purpose after those covers because this album taps into aspects of his classic soulful style.

In fact it's hard to think of an album from him in many, many decades which opens as strongly as this with the gently swinging Down to Joy ("felt so good, gratitude”), then a heartfelt tribute to his hero If It Wasn't For Ray and the tellingly entitled and optimism-amidst-doubts Haven't Lost My Sense of Wonder: “Just trying to find my way back home, back to the green fields of summer to see where I'm coming from . . . now I'm singing 'Peace, be still'.”

Morrison embraces Ray Charles balladry on the easy roll of Love, Lover and Beloved; sings of Back to Writing Love Songs (“what about soul?”) and getting to where he used to be; and he opens Stomping Ground with “take me down . . .” before reflecting on places of his youth.

Morrison has been in better spirits recently, engaging with interviewers and nowhere near as grumpy as he used to be. It comes through everywhere here. He's also in love.

There's a breeziness to The Only Love I Ever Need, a co-write with the great Don Black: “These are once in a lifetime feelings, never felt this way before, you're everything I waited for . . . so many good times up ahead.”

This terrific album – with strings, Morrison playing saxophone, spiritual soul songs – finds the old fellow (79) looking back through his past to moments of wonder and vision, all positive memories, even When the Rains Came “it seemed to give me piece of mind”.

The title track takes him back to Belfast “this is where I started, this is where I'm at, this is who I am”.

Against the odds, Van Morrison has delivered an album worthy of comparison with the best of those in the Nineties.

Make time for this one.

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You can hear this album at Spotify here