Get on with the show ...

... With (almost) 70 years. In its tenth anniversary, the grumpy man makes the Hyndford Street several gifts. In his said Belfast Heimatstrasse he plays in August a concert (sold out), a few weeks ago there was a four-part radio documentary on BBC, in which he spoke with his former saxophonist Leo Green over his long career, and now he revised his Song catalog with an exceptional range of guests. Retirement is another way.
(Must be well on his 50th birthday was) By the mid-90s there was the way something like this: at the time there was a tribute album called "No prima donna" - with Sinead O Conor, Elvis Costello and other more or less known guests. The album was entirely produced by Van Morrison - as well as the current Duets album. The album then sounded inhomogeneous and somehow pieced together. By comparison, the Duets plant is well forward. It sounds almost after a party album - so much is the playfulness of the band and the fun of the shooting is over.
The songs themselves are rearranged in part and win it. "Some Peace Of Mind" for example - the opening track of the album. With Bobby Womack, the Irish Grantler has brought one of my other musical heroes into the studio. Almost a small memorial for the meantime unfortunately deceased soul legend. And a Frischkur for the song, which originally used a shadowy existence in the '91 album "Hymns to the Silence". For me, at the same time the highlight of the album.
Other songs are re-arranged and lose my opinion. "Rough God Goes Riding" - sung with daughter Shana Morrison. The original in the century album "The Healing Game" can not beat it. The new version sounds ... interesting. I can not help but always when the man leaves his daughter with the mic, these are not necessarily the highlights.
For other duets make the album. "Higher than the world" with George Benson - also the song much more of Benson's guitar could have tolerated. "Streets of Arklow" with Mick Hucknall is fantastic, and "get on with the show" with the companions of the 90's Georgie Fame sounds party fit for VM ratios. "Whatever happended to PJ Proby?" is already so funny because the Van Morrison has denselbigen loaded as a duet partner. "These Are The Days" with Natalie Cole is also a umarrangiertes piece - and sounds like a new song. Very nicely managed, although I easily located the original 1989 at heart too.
"Born to Sing" does not bring any new pages. Chris Farlowe sounds great, but the song sounds much different than the relatively young stock.
Collaboration with Gregory Porter I had imagined more exciting than on "The Eternal Kansas City" - I do not know the original, but the Duets version just does not fit into the context of the other songs. Too bad, just from the hip jazz vocalists I had expected better. Another song might have more fitted.
Still, overall a great selection of songs, the album sounds as a unified whole. The album is perfect for the drive (can not be said of each VM-album), to hum along and mitwippen. Will listen to the pieces in the coming weeks and months, certainly a few more times, and send silent birthday wishes to the Irish Knödler who still hopefully equally playful remains as it is now.

For friends and fans definitely a Best Buy !!!