Review: Van Morrison ‘Remembering Now’

Review: Van Morrison ‘Remembering Now’

By Hal Horowitz

Even fans of Van Morrison likely have a difficult time keeping track of, let alone absorbing, all his releases. Contrary to many aging musical icons, with the notable exceptions of Willie Nelson, Neil Young and some others, Morrison has been on a tear in the past decade.

While some have criticized the subject matter of recent compositions (“Why are You on Facebook” and “They Own the Media” are examples from 2021s superficially titled ‘Latest Record Project, Vol.1,’ [there was never a volume two]), Morrison’s feisty combination of soul, blues, pop, jazz and occasionally Celtic and country, has never flagged.

For ‘Remembering Now,’ out June 13– his first batch of originals in three years and somewhere around the 79-year-old troubadour’s 46th studio set– he not only wrote and produced the 14 new songs, and played multiple instruments (it’s always great to hear his lesser known sax talents), but has reignited the lyrical spark many found absent from his current material.

Most impressively, Morrison’s voice exhibits no weakening. Anyone unaware of his octogenarian status would think he was half as old as his birth certificate reads.

While the auteur is not entirely “Back to Writing Love Songs” as he sings on that breezily melodic tune, there is a sense he is trying to catch, or at least beckon back, the spirit that created so many masterpieces like “Tupelo Honey,” “Caravan” and “Domino.” When he delivers a ballad like “Once in a Lifetime Feeling” with subtle yet noticeable violin accompaniment, it’s reminiscent of the dreamlike vibe that made classics such as “Have I Told You Lately” so iconic.

Strings on “Stomping Ground” bring a sweet romanticism that dovetails flawlessly with lyrics about returning to “a golden moment of time.” It’s beautiful, touching stuff. Opening song and first single “Down to Joy” with its horns, female backing voices, and dabs of rhythm guitar, fluently captures the essence of soul/R&B/pop and easy sway that Morrison used to tap into so effortlessly.

He returns to the soft blues cloud always evident in his sound on the title track where. Here the lyrics explicitly reach back to the past, reciting/talking “This is where it started from…this is who I am” as horns and organ float by. Van also shifts into the transcendent ether that elevated epics like “Listen to the Lion” on this set’s wonderful “When the Rains Came.” And on the charming homage “If It Wasn’t for Ray,” the bubbling concoction of soul, blues and jazz align like the music of Ray Charles who Morrison pays tribute to. He balances a finger-popping call and response with a horn chart informed by the one in “Jackie Wilson Said.”

For the closing, appropriately titled, “Stretching Out,” Van taps into his muse again for a nine-minute treatise on cosmic splendor that will leave every listener with a beatific smile on their face.

The problem with being as prolific as Van Morrison, is that this terrific offering might get dismissed, or worse ignored, as “another Morrison album”. That would be tragic and unfair because while it may not rank as one of the top 10 titles in his bulging catalog, ‘Remembering Now’ shows he has reclaimed the magical mystical inspiration many followers missed and is clearly not ready to retire anytime soon.

“Cutting Corners”