You know where you are with a Van Morrison album, right from the start. A Van album is a Van album. Sure, the times may change with different styles and tastes coming and going. Van takes snippets of these, but ultimately he knows what direction he is going in. This sounds like an album recorded in 1986 – which is no surprise seeing as though it was an album… recorded in 1986. It’s the welcome inclusion of the oboe on this album which adds a little extra something to his usual Sunday afternoon laid-back jazz soul vibes. This album works best when Van takes on his softly, softly, understated role. He strips everything back and calms the experience down. It can get quite intense at times, despite very little going on.
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