Van Morrison has been recording for close to forty years now, and has been releasing albums at the steady pace of about one a year. Starting out with the hard-rocking soul outfit Them, Morrison's music became more introspective and experimental over the years. Through the 80's and 90's, his two major topics in his songs were his spirital seeking and his nostalgia for his childhood.
In 2000, Van Morrison met up with Linda Gail Lewis, the sister of Rock N' Roll legend Jerry Lee Lewis, and recorded You Win Again, an album that showed Morrison's ability to take any musical direction he wanted to, including back to his origins. This album consists of thirteen songs of hard rocking rockabilly from the days when Johnny Cash was considered new school. The songs are performed in simple, short, straight-forward arrangments, with Morrison and Lewis' distinctive voices singing harmony while Lewis plays the piano.
When Van Morrison turns William Blake's poems into eight minute long spoken word pieces, I certainly enjoy it. And when Van Morrison wants to rock out like an Arkansas jug band player from fifty years ago, I also enjoy it. I would recommend this album for people who want an accesibly way into Van Morrison's music, for those who want to learn about the early history of rock music, and of course for those who simply want to rock out.
Track listing:
- Let's Talk About Us - Otis Blackwell
- You Win Again - Hank Williams
- Jambalya - Hank Williams
- Crazy Arms - Ralph Mooney & Chuck Seals
- Old Black Joe - Lewis
- Think Twice Before You Go - Smith
- No Way Pedro - Van Morrison
- A Shot of Rhythm and Blues - Terry Thompson
- Real Gone Lover - Dave Bartholomew, Ruth Durand, Joseph Robichaux
- Why Don't You Love Me - Hank Williams
- Cadillac - Ellas McDaniel
- Baby (You Got What It Takes) - Clyde Otis & Murray Stein
- Boogie Chillen - John Lee Hooker & Bernard Besman