by Oliver on November 15, 2023 in Album
When it comes to recording and releasing material, Van Morrison and his fabulous musicians obviously only care about devoting themselves to what they find uncomplicated fun. If fans also enjoy records like this Accentuate the Positive have – also good!
After Moving on Skiffle (or the band statement Beyond Words: Instrumental) follows with the (supposedly) 45th solo album, one in which Van Morrison covers his favorite rock and roll, R&B and country, including some standards and hits that have become common knowledge.
But in the hands of the now 78-year-old Irishman, the songs hardly live from the sweaty excess or the explosive energy of the revolting youth, but rather from the relaxed, calmly motivated fun of the matter, which can be transmitted to the listener in a pleasantly simple way The question is whether one should look for the essential, original, creative weight of numbers like You Are My Sunshine or Sea of Heartbreak I don’t actually want to necessarily search at all.
Rather, one enjoys (as do the actively involved actors themselves) the fact that Van and the gang are now practically shaking off some classics that had theoretically been played to death for a long time with an engaging lightness and freshness, with casual precision , garnish with no oversaturation (A Roof Over my Head For example, has the entire program to offer, from brass to soul backings, organ and guitar solos – but serves everything so smoothly, tending towards understatement, while the musicians’ experience bypasses the routine), while elsewhere less well-known pieces from the background to open new hearts.
The nonchalant, virtuoso, unspectacular craftsmanship of the ensemble (also reinforced by Jeff Beck) together with the charisma of a frontman who continues to sing with the elegant voice of an ageless god (without having to burn his fingers in his own controversies) works simply along the lines of expectations (and almost eliminating the overly critical objectivity in front of the fan glasses, the final points rating may perhaps look worse than the album is).
Everything swings, nothing necessarily pushes itself out of the background, but a few pieces still stand out (especially in the second half of Accentuate the Positive) from a certain uniformity (strictly speaking, of course, over a lengthy 63 minutes, which, however, only arises because all numbers that crack the 180 second mark could have easily used one or two tightening) per se: the percussive, buzzing positivism of the title track perhaps; the roadhouse rockabilly of Lonesome Train with guest vocals from Chris Farlowe; the fervent contributions of Taj Mahal at Lucille and the party Shake, Rattle and Roll; the seductive, mystical twist Shakin’ All Over; the lovely enchantment of the romantic Red Sails in the Sunset.
Yes, this is where you can feel the enthusiasm in the performance of the timeless, anachronistic material most clearly as a listener. Even if Van, who always has his heart in the matter, probably won’t care much about it. The man remains a reliable bank!
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