Over the years, Van Morrison has been astonishingly prolific, pumping out albums like a fruit machine dispenses coins. And that output is only increasing: The Prophet Speaks is his fourth album in 14 months. So it’s a joy to find Morrison, now 72, at the top of his craft with his 40th release.
On its predecessor, You’re Driving Me Crazy, he plundered the roots of his musical inspirations – vocal jazz and rhythm and blues – and The Prophet Speaks continues in its hallowed tread. Here, he takes on non-obvious blues classics by the likes of Sam Cooke and Willie Dixon, interspersed with six new tracks of his own.
That reinterpretations and originals blend seamlessly is a testament to both the way Morrison makes classics his own and how deeply his compositions are infused with their sound, bolstered by his repeat collaboration with Pennsylvanian multi-instrumentalist Joey DeFrancesco.
What’s more, Morrison sounds like he’s having a blast: jaunty opener “Gonna Send You Back to Where I Got You From” (Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson) drips with full-throated, red-blooded blues vocals and DeFrancesco’s virtuoso Hammond organ and trumpet. His own “Got to Go Where the Love Is” has a similarly joyous vibe, veering into loose improv with piano, guitar, and exuberant vocals and hand-clapping.
A change of tempo drives the album towards its majestic end. There’s a lounge jazz feel to the piano of the anthemic, kind-hearted “Spirit Will Provide”, and an ease to Morrison’s mellow vocals delivering such sweet wisdoms as “Change your thought and it will change your mind” and “fill your purpose as you go about life daily”. It’s a salve for troubled times.
The title track, resplendent with languid Latin guitar and the mellow undulations of Morrison’s tenor saxophone, makes a fitting ending to this satisfying and wholly enjoyable album.
