Van Morrison: Duets - Re-working the Catalogue

Van Morrison in a duet with long-time collaborators and admirers Van Morrison certainly needs no introduction to fans of handmade music that represents flesh and blood values. In a career spanning over fifty years, "Van the Man" has become a true giant of the music world. He utterly rejected the conventional conventions of being a superstar - with his restless character, uncompromising and straightforward, he repeatedly defied categorization. So on "Duets: Re-Working The Catalogue", Morrison devotes himself to his own catalog and sets about reworking it. "I don't usually revisit the old stuff unless I want to rework it or make a new arrangement," Van Morrison explains himself. "This project was mostly about the joy of singing with artists I admire, but also about revisiting songs that aren't as well known. I've wanted to make an album like this since the early 2000s, but it was difficult to get the right people together." "The people" for the 16 tracks of "Duets: Re-Working The Catalogue" made up a very colorful list of duet partners: Bobby Womack, Mavis Staples, George Benson, Joss Stone, PJ Proby, Clare Teal, Gregory Porter, Mick Hucknall, Natalie Cole, Georgie Fame, Shana Morrison, Steve Winwood, Chris Farlowe, Mark Knopfler, Michael Buble and Taj Mahal. Who can you leave off a list like that? It simply doesn't work! The wide age range of Van Morrison's duet partners, from Joss Stone to PJ Proby, is certainly worth mentioning. Incidentally, this is exactly the PJ Proby that Morrison memorialized on his 2002 album "Down the Road". Bobby Womack contributed one of his last recordings to "Duets: Re-Working The Catalogue". Van Morrison's daughter Shana Morrison, who has been on the road as a singer-songwriter for some time, is also represented on Morrison's 35th studio album. George Benson not only appears as a vocal partner, but also brought out his guitar. The song selection was almost in contrast to the celebrity-studded guest list. The obvious big hits were not chosen. It is the lesser-known songs that illustrate the extraordinary range and consistently high quality of Morrison's work. However, this choice of songs was not dictated by the master, but in many cases was the express wish of the duet partners. It was obviously a lot of fun for everyone involved. Van Morrison is generally regarded as extremely grumpy and not easy to interview. On "Duets: Re-Working The Catalogue", however, he is very relaxed. The last track "How Can A Poor Boy?" ends in laughter with Taj Mahal. Van Morrison must have been an excellent host during the sessions for "Duets: Re-Working The Catalogue". You can clearly hear that his guests had a lot of fun.