To go with his newly bestowed knighthood and nigh on his 70th birthday, the release of Van the Man's 35th studio album puts him in the spotlight for all the right reasons. It's a long way from the 15 year old who abandoned school to play sax on a European tour by Belfast band, the Monarchs. Soon after, his own outfit, Them, had success with Big Joe Williams' song Baby Please Don't Go.
Hooking up with producer Bert Berns resulted in more success with Here Comes the Night and, to a lesser extent, Gloria. Morrison's career got under way when Berns sent him a ticket to New York. His first solo album, Blowing Your Mind, included the still popular Brown Eyed Girl. With groundbreaking albums Astral Weeks and Moondance, Morrison began a career based on his unique fusion of jazz, blues and rock.
Duets is a great way of looking back at that career. Bobby Womack joins him for Some Peace of Mind, Natalie Cole on These Are the Days, Mark Knopfler's Irish Heartbeat is a highlight as are Van and Chris Farlowe on Born to Sing. Add in Joss Stone, Mavis Staples, Taj Mahal, George Benson, Steve Winwood and Mick Hucknall. You get the picture.
From the depth of his catalogue Van Morrison has chosen material that is a strong fit between his original versions and the input of his collaborators. Often, albums like this don't cut the mustard. Duets is definitely the exception.
