What's Wrong With This Picture? Just listen to the album once through, and it's not hard to find the answer. Disorientation, whining, moaning, loneliness, alcoholism, and death, among other things, plague Van Morrison's new album. Once you get past that minor detail and manage to block out nearly every lyric, the music itself is bearable.
This is Van Morrison's first album released under the Blue Note label, one that deals with blues and jazz artists, and appropriately so. The majority of songs have a sometimes jazzy, sometimes bluesy, feel to them. With simple but decent arrangements, "Meaning of Loneliness" and "Goldfish Bowl" are perfectly suited for Van Morrison's voice, resulting in a soulful tune. On the other hand, with the song, "Whinin' Boy Moan," he tilts the scales toward jazz. This is, in theory, a great thing, but in execution, it's not. Similarly, "Saint James Infirmary" is a depressing and painful listen, and Van Morrison strains his voice in an attempt to create a jazzy feel. This, in addition to a few other songs on the album, makes it hard to listen to the entire song.
A few bad songs here and there should be nothing to complain about - especially on an album by a respected musician such as Van Morrison. Considering that his entire album is virtually a big gripe, it's worth noting that the whining is excessive: "Well there's Sartre and Camus, Nietzsche, and Hesse/ If you dig deep enough/ You gonna end up in distress/ Nobody knows the meaning of loneliness." Since existentialism isn't something to dwell on, Van Morrison moves right along to happier thoughts: "Well there's parasites and psychic vampires/ Feeding on the public at large/ Projecting their shadow onto everyone else." And, of course, never overestimate fame, "You never could have resisted it/ What's in a name/ And everybody's jaded by fame."
If nothing else can be said about Van Morrison, his voice has an innately soothing effect, whether it is paired with blues, jazz, or the more pop-rock of the earlier days, Moondance-style. It also shouldn't go unnoticed that two songs on the album are actually pleasant. But two songs out of 13 can't make up for the dismal overtone of the album. Ironically, the album ends with a concession and humble disclaimer to the disappointed listener: "I just wanna get on with the show/ And if it don't work then let it go."
Spring Break
