“Morrison’s voice is one of pop’s most recognizable instruments, and it still sounds like a siren call. His phrasing and interplay with his band indicate not just a studying of each song’s structure but a deep dive into their feelings as well….Even after so many decades, Morrison shows he’s capable of pushing forward while continuing to look back at his own influences.” – TIME
“The results are impressive…Morrison focusing on the feel and texture of each song…….A half-dozen new songs….conjure up Morrison’s more mystical approach to lyrics and arrangement.” Washington Post/AP
“His energy along with a tight, motivated band is contagious, jumping out of the speakers with sparkling colors. It’s impossible to not get caught up in the sheer joy exuded by Morrison and company as he cranks out yet another winner in a bulging catalog filled with them.” American Songwriter
“No doubt about it: Van Morrison’s on a roll…with an authenticity and eagerness that’s never deserted him…his enthusiasm is infectious…The prophet is speaking loud and clear and letting us know, he’s happy with the place where he’s arrived.” Paste
This fourteen track album follows a recent run of hugely acclaimed albums (Roll With The Punches, Versatile and You’re Driving Me Crazy), each of which has delved deep into the musical styles that have continued to inspire Van throughout his life – vocal jazz and R&B. Here, Van takes on a series of unarguable classics by the likes of John Lee Hooker, Sam Cooke and Solomon Burke (among others) and makes them unmistakably his own. Alongside these reinterpretations, The Prophet Speaks features six phenomenal new Van Morrison compositions including the recent single Got To Go Where The Love Is.
Van Morrison says of The Prophet Speaks: “It was important for me to get back to recording new music as well as doing some of the blues material that has inspired me from the beginning. Writing songs and making music is what I do, and working with great musicians makes it all the more enjoyable.”
The Prophet Speaks again finds Van working with the incredible multi-instrumentalist Joey DeFrancesco (the artist co-credited on You’re Driving Me Crazy) and his band (including Dan Wilson on guitar, Michael Ode on drums and Troy Roberts on tenor saxophone). The tracklisting is:
Gonna Send You Back To Where I Got You From (Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson, Leona Blackman)
Dimples (John Lee Hooker, James Bracken)
Got to Go Where The Love Is (Van Morrison)
Laughin’ and Clownin’ (Sam Cooke)
5 am Greenwich Mean Time (Van Morrison)
Gotta Get You Off My Mind (Solomon Burke, Delores Burke, Josephine Burke Moore)
Teardrops (J.D. Harris)
I Love The Life I Live (Willie Dixon)
Worried Blues / Rollin’ and Tumblin’ (J.D. Harris)
Ain’t Gonna Moan No More (Van Morrison)
Love Is A Five Letter Word (Gene Barge)
Love Is Hard Work (Van Morrison)
Spirit Will Provide (Van Morrison)
The Prophet Speaks (Van Morrison)
Van Morrison plays a series of US shows in 2019. The Chicago shows are the first Van Morrison has played in the city in a decade:
Fri Jan 25th The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas
Sat Jan 26th The Colosseum at Caesars Palace Las Vegas
Wed Jan 30th The Colosseum at Caesars Palace Las Vegas
Fri Feb 1st The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas
Sat Feb 2nd The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas
Tue Feb 5th The Wiltern, Los Angeles
Wed Feb 6th The Wiltern Los Angeles
Fri Feb 8th The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas
Sat Feb 9th The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas
Wed Apr 24th Chicago Theatre, Chicago
Thu Apr 25th Chicago Theatre, Chicago
