Van Morrison Brings Back Big Ripe Notes On ‘Moving On Skiffle’ (ALBUM REVIEW)

Not a shred of the sour, nasty, cantankerous images that shrouded Van Morrison during the pandemic and his last couple of albums is found on his latest project, Moving On Skiffle. The 2-CD set reflects Morrison as inspired as we’ve ever heard him, certainly since his two albums in 2018 with the late Joey DeFrancesco (You’re Driving me Crazy and The Prophet Speaks). Morrison fell in love with skiffle music at the age of six, while growing up in Belfast, totally enraptured by the skiffle craze in the UK in the ‘50s.

In 2000 Morrison issued The Skiffle Sessions: Live in Belfast 1998 with Donegan and Chris Barber. To his credit, though, the 23 tracks across these two CDs, do not repeat any from that project. Skiffle is the confluence of folk, blues, jazz, and country from the early 20th century, although Morrison bends that definition a bit with some more recent material and instrumental flourishes that go beyond the rudimentary jug band-type instruments although he does include a washboard.

While both CDs are strong, we give the edge to the second although these from the first stand out.  He gives the opener, Elizabeth Cotten’s “Freight Train” a jazz arrangement infused with electric guitars, both piano, and B3 along with his harmonica and a few new words. As is true mostly throughout, three vocalists back him. The single “Streamline Train” stands out as vocalist Crawford Bell is the single harmony vocalist and guitarist Dave Keary plays multiple strings – classical guitar, ukelele, and acoustic guitar. He changes the gospel chestnut “This Little Light of Mine’ into a medley of “This Loving Light of Mine” with strains of “Amen”. It has the full gospel resonance of the Black Church. Never leaving the blues far behind, the band digs deep on “In the Evening When the Sun Goes Down.”

Most of the time Morrison plays the songs straight, some with different arrangements and a few with lyrical twists. “Mama Don’t Allow” from the Memphis Jug Band and Tampa Red in the late ‘20s becomes “Gov Don’t Allow,” which he begins decrying lack of freedom but ends up more tamely with “Gov don’t allow no rock ‘n roll in here.” Other lyrics mention not allowing blues or R&B. You get the idea. Others on Disc 2 include “Streamlined Cannonball’ with Lakeman on both fiddle and mandolin, surrounded by Dunn’s huge Hammond organ and a swell of voices.  He takes the mournfulness out of Hank Williams’ “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry,” transforming it into an upbeat singalong. The program never lags through either disc with arguably the best four-song sequence the last one. “Cold, Cold, Heart” plays to a jaunty tempo with sax, lap steel, and four background vocalists while “Worried Man Blues” begins with a “Mystery Train” intro and morphs into a swinging piano-driven blues, accented by a choir of four as is “Cotton Fields.” With Keary playing bouzouki and mandolin. When we reach the closer, “Green Rocky Road” Morrison is nodding to folk greats Dave Van Ronk and Fred Neil, made famous in the film “Inside Llewyn Davis.” It’s only here that we get the mystic side of the ‘70s and ‘80s Van heard on albums like No Guru, No Method, No Teacher, and others of that ilk as if to remind us that he can still lean on that style of his music when called for. The treatment stands distinctly apart from the others, even with similar instrumentation and ever-present backgrounds. 

This music is well-designed for live performance and early reviews of the shows are highly favorable. However, as an album listening experience, the weight of so many background vocalists with call and response or echoes in every chorus on these tracks becomes wearisome. As mentioned, Van is so inspired, he actually seems happy. Perhaps taking a few of these alone or stripping down some of the instrumentation would make for better sequencing. That said, Morrison has taken a huge step away from the sourness of the last few years. Not many could pull off a double album of covers, some over 100 years old, and profoundly revitalize them as he does.

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2 Responses

  1. This is a fair summary of this new album but I must admit that I cannot put it down, playing it on Spotify in the car and on vinyl at home. He has always been a cool dude and pulls that off again very well. Personally I like the twists he has introduced to the titles of some of the songs as it adds some relevance to today . I think the drums and washboard do give some authenticity to the skiffle genre. All I can say really to add to this is that the cream always rises to the top and it has done so again with this musical legend and this terrific album..

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