U2 isn’t Ireland’s only musical icon. Forty years ago, Van Morrison
and his band Them blasted out of Belfast with a rough and dirty R&B edge
that rivaled the Stones and the Animals. Them splintered after a couple of years,
but Morrison kept going, having delivered an astonishing 38 solo albums to date.
Magic Time, his latest Geffen Records CD, features ten original
compositions as well as three stellar interpretations of the jazz classics,
“‘This Love Of Mine,” “I’m Confessin’,” and “‘Lonely
And Blue.” From the lilting pop stylings of “Stranded” to the
bounce and sass of “Keep Mediocrity At Bay” right on through to
the burgundy smoothness of “Gypsy In My Soul” and Celtic icing dripping
off of “The Lion This Time” — the album never falters as it
solicits the range of R&B, blues, jazz, and whatnot to fill out the grooves.
Clearly with Magic Time striving to live up to its name, Van
Morrison — rock and roll hall of famer and self-sufficient survivor —
has cut another solid package of tuneful nuggets that clearly demonstrate the
man’s commitment to his craft.
~ Shawn Perry
