The very prolific Van Morrison will release 37th studio album, Roll With the Punches, on September 22.
Built around a track list of blues, soul and jazz classics, along with four Morrison originals, Van says it really was all about the story and the potential for performance. “The songs on Roll With the Punches, whether I’ve written them or not, they’re performance oriented. Each song is like a story and I’m performing that story. That’s been forgotten over years because people over-analyze things. I was a performer before I started writing songs, and I’ve always felt like that’s what I do.
“The thing about the blues is you don’t dissect it. You just do it. I was lucky to have met people who were the real thing, people like John Lee Hooker, Jimmy Witherspoon, Bo Diddley, Little Walter and 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.”
Morrison self-produced the album and gets assistance from such artists as Jeff Beck, Chris Farlow, Georgie Fame, Paul Jones and Jason Rubello.
Here’s Morrison’s latest take on the classic Sam Cooke song Bring It On Home to Me:
Morrison previously included a live version on the album It’s Too Late to Stop Now.
The track list:
Roll With the Punches (Van Morrison & Don Black)
Transformation (Van Morrison)
I Can Tell (Bo Diddley & Samuel Bernard Smith)
Stormy Monday / Lonely Avenue (T-Bone Walker / Doc Pomus)
Goin’ To Chicago (Count Basie & Jimmy Rushing)
Fame (Van Morrison)
Too Much Trouble (Van Morrison)
Bring It on Home to Me (Sam Cooke)
Ordinary People (Van Morrison)
How Far From God (Sister Rosetta Tharpe)
Teardrops From My Eyes (Rudy Toombs)
Automobile Blues (Lightnin’ Hopkins)
Benediction (Mose Allison)
Mean Old World (Little Walter)
Ride On Josephine (Bo Diddley)
Morrison also has announced a short tour to promote the album:
09/10 – Hershey, PA – Hersheypark Stadium
09/14 – Nashville, TN – Ascend Amphitheater
10/13 – Rancho Mirage, CA – The Show at Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa
10/14 – Rancho Mirage, CA – The Show at Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa
10/20 – Oakland, CA – Fox Theater
10/21 – Oakland, CA – Fox Theater
11/06 – Edinburgh, Scotland – Edinburgh Playhouse
11/07 – Glasgow, Scotland – Glasgow Royal Court
11/12 – London, UK – Eventim Apollo
11/13 – Birmingham, UK – Birmingham Symphony Hall
11/15 – Liverpool, UK – Liverpool Philharmonic Hall
11/20 – Cardiff, UK – St. David’s Hall
11/21 – Bristol, UK – Colston Hall
11/24 – Torquay, UK – Princess Theatre
11/25 – Plymouth, UK – Plymouth Pavilions
12/04 – Belfast, Ireland – Europa Hotel
12/05 – Belfast, Ireland – Europa Hotel
