Van Morrison -is set to release a new 15-track album, due out September 22 (Exile/Caroline) titled Roll With The Punches. Van Morrison‘s 37th studio album–sees him simultaneously hand-picking a selection of rhythm and blues classics (by the likes of Bo Diddley, Mose Allison, Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Lightnin’ Hopkins, among others) and recording a set of new self-written songs. It’s an album that features raw, intimate interpretations of some of the cornerstones of rock’n’roll alongside five new numbers.
Roll With The Punches was produced by Morrison and recorded with an incredible team of studio collaborators including Chris Farlowe, Georgie Fame, Jeff Beck, Paul Jones and Jason Rebello.
“From a very early age, I connected with the blues,” Morrison says. “The thing about the blues is you don’t dissect it–you just do it. I’ve never over-analysed what I do; I just do it. Music has to be about just doing it and that’s the way the blues works–it’s an attitude. I was lucky to have met people who were the real thing–people like John Lee Hooker, Jimmy Witherspoon, Bo Diddley, Little Walter & Mose Allison. I got to hang out with them and absorb what they did. They were people with no ego whatsoever and they helped me learn a lot.”
“The songs on Roll With the Punches--whether I’ve written them or not–they’re performance oriented,” Morrison adds. “Each song is like a story and I’m performing that story. That’s been forgotten over years because people over-analyse things. I was a performer before I started writing songs and I’ve always felt like that’s what I do.”
VAN MORRISON’s U.S. and UK tour dates are as follows:
Sun Sept 10
Hersheypark Stadium @ “Outlaw Music Festival”
Thu Sept 14
Ascend Amphitheater
Fri Oct 13
The Show At Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa
Sat Oct 14
The Show At Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa
Fri Oct 20
Fox Theater (Oakland, CA)
Sat Oct 21
Fox Theater (Oakland, CA)
UK DATES:
Mon Nov 6
Edinburgh Playhouse
Tues Nov 7
Glasgow Royal Court
Sun Nov 12
London Eventim Apollo
Mon Nov 13
Birmingham Symphony Hall
Wed Nov 15
Liverpool Philharmonic Hall
Mon Nov 20
Cardiff St. David’s Hall
Tues Nov 21
Bristol Colston Hall
Fri Nov 24
Torquay Princess Theatre
Sat Nov 25
Plymouth Pavilions
Mon Dec 4
Belfast Europa Hotel
Tues Dec 5
Belfast Europa Hotel