VAN MORRISON
Magic Time
Exile/Polydor
· Self-produced album – too bad. He could have used a second opinion. Also available in (oooohh!) a "strictly limited" collector’s edition box set.
It’s only a handful we’re talking about here – commercial sellers who are into their fifth continuous decade as purveyors of popular music. The Stones, The Who (kind of), Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, umm, Neil Diamond. Most of them are defined more by what hasn’t changed in their styles, than by what has. That’s a shame, because, with the exception of Dylan, it seems to pin them where they were, not where they could be.
So what hasn’t changed about Morrison? Well, his voice hasn’t – it might be a tad deeper than it was in his youth, but it’s still soft, strong and real. His penchant for attractive melody is the same, as is his love of pop structures based on traditional music. Then there is the standard smooth instrumentation with masterful solos, and that familiar punch of horns and harmonica.
So what has changed? It’s hard to finger, but where the man was once the standard of passionate, tuneful songs that could be introspective without resorting to navel-gazing, he’s now producing borderline easy listening music. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but there’re many who do easy listening with more purpose. This is one of those albums that’s certainly pleasant enough to listen to, but once you take it off it’s likely to get shelved and forgotten.
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