The blue-eyed soul icon, found amongst today’s music’s greatest innovators, will be releasing his 44th studio album Moving On Skiffle in just two days time (10th March). The man never drops his constancy and he strides back this year with a time capsuling skiffle album known all too well from the 1950’s. The style holds a soft spot in the irish singers heart, dating back to his childhood.
This new release is a retreat for Morrison. Playing the smoky music he was brought up with, he reminisces about where he comes from, to which he adds a smooth soulful modernisation without fully ridding of its initial essence. As a child, when he first started delving into the musical world in Belfast, he played in a skiffle band which was a rooting of what sort of music he was passionate about.
Moving On Skiffle will be a 23 track album hosting a combination of enduring classics of the era enhanced by the musicians rollicking stylistic input as well as original arrangements and entailing lyrical twists. Steaming from the folky roots, a skiffle fest is well on its way. He has successfully kept the ice cold by gradually releasing singles from the LP. Five tracks are now live, featuring unbeatable timeless tracks of the era.
He first released “Streamline Train” a few months back. A song originally written by the American blues singer Red Nelson in 1936. The crackly bygone recording has taken and moulded into a soulful strutting version by Morrison. He then released “I’m Moving On”, a country standard first released by Hank Snow in the 1950’s. Taking a classic sound to remake the ethos of the country folk chime and inducing his characteristic twist as well as some finishing gospel backing vocal touches.
“Worried Man Blues” is the third single release of the album. Another skiffle cover of an original written song by Carter Family in 1964. A track many blues artists have re written and reimagined but never failed to hold it’s magical purity. Following these he releases “This Loving Light Of Mine”, a rolling interpretation of Harry Dixons “This Little Light Of Mine” back in 1962. Finally, Van Morrison has just released his last single “Freight Train”. Positioning the track as the starting song of the bunch to perfectly set the scene for the experience about to unfold. It is a jazzed up version of Elizabeth Cotten’s writing, with a few added vocal harmonies and organ inputs.
The album is just around the corner and expect the enlivened robustness of the 1950’s skiffle moulded into a brand new album. An album global tour is to come along with its release, set to start on the 13th March in Milton Keynes and run through until the 19th September, finishing on the other side of the world in California, USA.
Click here to pre-order the album.
