Reviewed by Ian Phillips.
By Van Morrison, Exile/Caroline International, 2019.
Van Morrison’s latest album Three Chords And The Truth was released on 25 October and it presents Van the Man supported by a stripped back backing group – keeping with the album title.
This is his sixth album in the last four years, so Van is in a very productive period right now.
The album is comprised of 14 new compositions, 13 written by Van and the other, If We Wait For Mountains, co-written with Don Black.
The album features contributions from a variety of well-known musicians, including legendary guitarist Jay Berliner and The Righteous Brothers’ Bill Medley, who sings a particularly bluesy duet with him on Fame Will Eat The Soul.
The album gives all the signals of being recorded live and the backing band is particularly tight. The bass is some of the best I’ve heard in a while.
I like the honesty and simplicity of the music – you can pick out instruments and feel the give and take between performers.
In other words, the music lives and breathes unconstrained by digital precision.
Explaining what it was like to record the album Van Morrison said: “You’re just plugging into the feeling of it, more the feeling of it… when they’re playing… it’s like reading me. So, I think there’s more of that connection.”
I think this is one of the best albums he’s produced in many years. The new songs showcase Van Morrison’s talents as a songwriter and wonderfully gifted singer.
With straight blues tracks like You Don’t Understand, the soul of Fame Will Eat The Soul, the pop influence in If We Read Between The Lines, the Latino rhythm of Does Love conquer All? and the boogie woogie of Early Days – the album has it all.
This album captures Van Morrison at his best as one of our generation’s greatest and most celebrated musicians.
