"Van Morrison - Magic Time"

About every year or so, Van Morrison cranks out another well-crafted album of his patented blend of pop, jazz, blues, R&B, folk, and Celtic swing. This year (yesterday, in fact) is no different, and Magic Time serves up more of the same great music we know any love.

Stylistically, this album mines much the same territory Down the Road and What's Wrong with this Picture? did. This isn't to say that Van's in a holding pattern or anything--the music still has a freshness to it, even if the styles are ones he's been working in for thirty-odd years. Van has a tendency to simply phone in his albums occasionally, but he's been on a roll the past three or four records, and his enthusiasm for recording and playing is at a latter-day peak.

One has to wonder, though, just who the hell is bothering Van these days. Several of the songs--"Keep Mediocrity at Bay," "Just Like Greta," and "They Sold Me Out"--all feature similar themes: the idea that folks just won't leave him alone, that he's tired of being a song and dance man for their entertainment and amusement. But really, how much of a celebrity is Van Morrison in the 21st century? Sure, back in 1973, these songs would have seemed appropriate and timely, but they seem a few decades too late now. This isn't to discount Van's abilities, which are still considerable when he's on his game (which he is here, make no mistake about it). But honestly, is he still being hounded by the press and fans so much that, "like Greta Garbo, I just want to be alone"? "Keep Mediocrity at Bay" is actually a fairly appropriate song--a lot of Van's '80s work was mediocre at best, but he's bounced back from it in recent years to fine form. It's a reminder--both to himself and to everyone else--that one of the worst things one can do is not put forth one's best effort.

And Van's given us a damn fine effort with Magic Time. It's a solid record with some great songs. He manages to look to the past for inspiration and still keep it sounding new and immediate, which is no small feat. He does his Sinatra impression on "This Love of Mine," does a smoldering blue-eyed soul version of "I'm Confessin'," and a bluesy version of Fats Waller's "Lonely and Blue" that's damn-near perfect. These three covers fit in well with the original tunes on the record, offering a moment's familiarity (well, to a certain degree) amidst the new songs.

The album is dominated--as are most Van Morrison records--with mid-tempo and slow numbers, tunes that soothe the soul with kicking the imagination into high gear. Morrison still has a knack for wordplay and clever, introspective, heartfelt lyrics, and while some of them may be filled with bile and bitterness, there's still a sweet center to most of the songs. The most impressive part of the album is that Van takes styles and genres that are very familiar and makes them seem new again, as though he just invented them. The truth, though, is that he's been perfecting these styles and digging deeper into them for over thirty years as a solo artist, and he keeps finding new things to say and new ways to surprise us. And it all ends with hope--"Carry on Regardless" has a joy and energy to it, a sense that Morrison will keep doing his thing no matter what.

Ultimately, this is another solid album from The Man. He's not lost the fire of his youth, and his game is still strong. This record won't convince anyone who isn't already a Van Morrison fan, but the faithful will find a lot to love here. If you're looking for an introduction to his work, though, you start at the beginning--you start with Moondance and Tupelo Honey; Astral Weeks if you're into the more hippy-drippy stuff. But for those already initiated, Magic Time is another great serving of what Van does best.

~chuck

Song of the Moment: Van Morrison, "Stranded"