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Track Listings
| 1. How Can A Poor Boy? |
| 2. School Of Hard Knocks |
| 3. That's Entrainment |
| 4. Don't Go To Nightclubs Anymore |
| 5. Lover Come Back |
| 6. Keep It Simple |
| 7. End Of The Land |
| 8. Song Of Home |
| 9. No Thing |
| 10. Soul |
| 11. Behind The Ritual |
Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
Keep It Simple is Van Morrison's 35th album. Representing his first new material since 2005, it’s also the first Van LP in a while for which he has acted as composer, arranger, lyricist and multi-instrumentalist (sax, harmonica, ukelele) as well as specifically composing all 11 songs for the one project. The album wears its title well as the blues number "How Can a Poor Boy" kicks things off in sparse but compelling style. The arrangements stay elegant and subtle throughout, leaving space for Morisson’s chief weapon--his voice. At 63 he sounds as peerless as ever, even if his lyrical outlook is less mystical and more sober than before (see songs like "Don't Go to Nightclubs Anymore"). But when you least expect it, hints of his former lyrical powers return. "Into the Mystic" and the denouement "Behind the Ritual" are reminiscent of some of his best work, and while Keep It Simple cannot be compared to the visceral majesty and fanciful meanderings of Astral Weeks, it’s one of his most enjoyable outings for a while. --Danny McKenna
Review
The Man returns. And after over 40 years of telling us that it ain't why, it just is, who are we to argue as to whether it's good or bad? But the really good news is that after his somewhat dodgy foray into country with Pay The Devil, he's really back on top. What's more he even sounds...cheerful. Which is strange, because Keep It Simple is a mainly bluesy affair. He's returned to the usual mixture of autobiographical fare (School Of Hard Knocks) and the kind of folky r 'n' b that may be chock-full of lyrical cliche (cf: the punningly-titled That's Entrainment) but is always lifted by a voice that really hasn't deteriorated much in the last twenty years. Let's face it: the blues wouldn't be the blues without it's lyrical template. It's the way it's sung that matters, and Van is still peerless in this respect.
But Keep It Simple also seems to have a certain amount of atonement for past sins about it. For every song like School Of Hard Knocks where he tells us, once more, how he was left 'high and dry' by colleagues, there's Don't Go To Nightclubs Anymore. Here he seems to be revealing his renouncement of the bottle; telling us that he doesn't hang around with his friends 'Mose' (Allison, one presumes) and 'Mr Clive' (Georgie Fame?) and that he doesn't consider himself a 'legend in my own mind'. Yes, this seems to be a sober, happier ,healthier Van than we've seen in a long while.
From this point on it's all terrain that'll make the seasoned Van-watcher happy, and will welcome in anybody who wonders why such a legendary sourpusss maintains such a standing. End Of The Land and Song Of Home almost go so far as to resurrect the spirit of the country-inflected folk/soul of Van's golden period. In fact throughout Morrison references his older work; singing of wavelengths, harbour lights, foghorns and all the things that gave his muse the special bucolic, mystical vibe that he made all his own. The closing Behind The Ritual delivers the requisite spiritual soul-searching, though when he reaches the point of wordless expression and starts going "blah, blah, blah" it's not quite Listen To the Lion. The supporting cast acquit themselves admirably as well. Of special note is the steel guitar of Cindy Cashdollar (of Asleep At The Wheel). The only downside is that the backing vocals are a trifle over-egged at times.
But on the whole this is a lovely welcome back to a man who's been increasingly offhand in his output of late. It may look simple, but only a master like Van could pull this off. --Chris Jones
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
That's more like it!,
By wabrit (Derbyshire) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Keep It Simple (Audio CD)
I've been listening to Van Morrison's music for nearly 30 years, and with heavy heart passed on his last two albums ("Magic Time", and "Pay the Devil") because his recent music no longer connected with me the way it had in the past; after all no-one yet has made great music out of whingeing about the record industry and the price of fame. Somehow the bar-room blues, skiffle and jazz just didn't do it for me, at least not the way the incomparable, transcendental music on say "Veedon Fleece", "Into the Music" or "St. Dominic's Preview" had done.
So it's with great pleasure that I turned to "Keep it Simple"; it's not up there with his greatest work, but for me it's the best thing he's done since "Too Long in Exile". There are still a few forgettable pieces (the opening track "How Can a Poor Boy" for example), but there are some solid-gold gems here - "That's Entrainment", "Lover Come Back", "Keep it Simple", "End of the Land". The final two tracks deserve to stand with anything he's done before - "Soul" and "Behind the Ritual"; the latter in particular is superb, and my only disappointment was that it finished a mere six minutes in just when I thought it was getting really interesting. So thanks Van for a splendid album :-)
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Creeps Up Rather Than Jumps Out,
By
This review is from: Keep It Simple (Audio CD)
The joys of this latest Van the Man album creep up on you. It was on the fourth listening that the pleasing melodies and catchy phrasings took root. It is a typically Van Morrison eclectic mix of tunes. The songs hang together beautifully and there are echoes throughout of previous recordings. The intros are particularly clear and crisp. I look forward to many more playings of this finely crafted album.
24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Simple Delight,
By
This review is from: Keep It Simple (Audio CD)
After 41 years in the music business, 32 studio albums and just over two years short of drawing his pension, Van Morrison continues to delight with his music.
Of course, there's nothing new here and neither should you expect there to be. The fact that Van produced the album means no change. He has been ploughing his own unique, visionary furrow for so long now he's hardly likely to employ Rick Rubin! His familiar mix of blues, country, jazz and Celtic Soul has served Van and his fans well over the decades and Keep It Simple doesn't disappoint. His voice is in good shape as he takes us through 12 original songs which seem to be about life in late middle age tinged with nostalgia and even sentimentality. There are some gems in this collection, "End Of The Land" and "Song Of Home" and the exquisite "Lover Come Back" with a swirling organ and atmospheric steel guitar is worth the price of the album on its own. There are no horns or strings in this production, just guitar, banjo, drums, piano, organ and the occasional sax, mandolin and fiddle. Keeping it simple? No, there's nothing new. Just Van in top form delighting this fan once again.
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