“Madame George” follows with a stretched-out jam that consistently stays on a single chord progression while the fiddle improves the acoustic arrangement.
Side two starts with “The Way Young Lovers Do”, a jazzy swing track that is accented by Mexican horns to improve its overall feel. The first side closes with “Cyprus Avenue”, another take at romance with a mix of blues and Celtic folk in the arrangement with great accents thanks to the harpsichord and fiddle. Next is “Beside You”, taking the form of an improvised jam that’s too much to take in for a new listener, while “Sweet Thing” talks about romance with a steady rhythm movement in the form of a traditional love song. It’s not just a great Van Morrison album, but also a contender with the same potential crossover appeal of John Lee Hooker’s The Healer or JJ Cale And Eric Clapton’s Grammy-winning The Road To Escondido.The concept album opens with the title song and its notably heavy rhythm driven by the bass, talking about transformation in a romanticized lens. Ultimately, Roll With The Punches has stamina on its side, only taking the bell after an inspired final round of covers, including Little Walter’s “Mean Old World,” Mose Allison’s “Benediction” and a N’Awlins-flavored reshaping of Sister Rosetta Tharpe’s “How Far From God.” Though championing a genre of music often deemed to have a niche market appeal, Roll With The Punches stays the course. Collectively, they show off their chops on a raw’n’slinky version of Bo Diddley’s “I Can Tell” and a spirited medley of T-Bone Walker’s “Stormy Monday” and Doc Pomus’ “Lonely Avenue,” while Morrison flexes his versatile vocal cords on two of the album’s best self-penned numbers: the subtle, James Carr-esque “Transformation” and the pugnacious, Chicago-style blues of the title track.Įlsewhere, Morrison strikes a strictly contemporary note on “Fame” – reflecting on the illusory nature of 21st-century celebrity – before conjuring up a supremely gutsy vocal on a show-stopping, Southern soul-tinged version of Sam Cooke’s “Bring It On Home,” which is lifted to still greater heights by a suitably expressive Jeff Beck guitar solo. The Northern Irish star has come full circle, returning to the genre with a vengeance on Roll With The Punches, wherein a series of blues standards rub shoulders with a selection of freshly-minted Morrison originals.Įqual parts hungry and accomplished, Roll With The Punches was recorded with an incredible team of studio collaborators including Chris Farlowe, Georgie Fame, Jeff Beck, Paul Jones and Jason Rebello. Van Morrison’s long and distinguished career began with him fronting fiery Belfast outfit Them, whose evergreen mid-60s hits “Here Comes The Night,” “Baby Please Don’t Go” and “Gloria” (the latter covered by Jimi Hendrix, The Doors and Patti Smith) displayed Morrison’s love of R&B.
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