For his last album, the rock icon Van Morrison reached back to his R&B roots,teamed with B3er Joey DeFrancesco and tapped into his inner Hank Crawford for a swinging You’re Driving Me Crazy, which made my Top 10 release for 2018. This album has Morrison, like all good poker players, continuing with his winning hand, keeping Joey D and jumping like the second coming of Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson on this mix of jumping originals and covers.
Morrison is joyfully hip on Gene Barge’s “Love Is A Five Letter Word” with Dan Wilson’s guitar and Joe D’s Hammond moaning along with him on howling read of Sam Cooke’s “Laughin’ and Clowning.” With adding his harmonica, Morrison gets into the rural roads on a vintage R&B read of John Lee Hooker’s “Dimples” and sizzles through “Worried Blues/Rollin’ and Tumblin’.” Bluesy keys and Troy Roberts’ tenor sax team with a slapped bass on Morrison’s own title “Go To Where The Love Is”, DeFrancesco plays B3 and trumpet on a hip title track, and Morrison is wailing on a gutsy “Love Is Hard Work.” Vinson’s own “Gonna Send You Back To Where I Got You From” is a KC City swinger, while Van’s soulful “Spirit Will Provide” is a gorgeous gospel track that evokes comfy church on Sunday Morning after a late night.
If he does even a few of the songs from his latest two albums on his upcoming tour, the show is going to be a juke joint jumper!