#remembering now

[krispyweiss]

Song Review: Van Morrison - “Back to Writing Love Songs” (Live)

At 80, Van Morrison retains at least 80 percent of his singing voice.

His relative vocal youth was on display in Belfast as he celebrated the milestone birthday and he’s released a live performance of Remembering Now’s “Back to Writing Love Songs” as a keepsake.

Another of Morrison’s career-autobiography songs, this one finds him explaining the need to write commercial material while also nodding to Muddy Waters and Ray Charles:

What about soul and inspiration/what about taking it right back to the day/gotta get my mojo working/gotta tell you, baby, what I’d say/’cause it’s back to writing love songs, he sings as his big band lays down a jazzy, easy-listening soundtrack.

Lyrically iffy - the title is repeated a couple of dozen times - this song works because of the intricate arrangement, where electric guitar and horns float over a cool rhythmic breeze and Morrison the singer lets it all - or 80 percent of it, as the case may be - hang out.

Grade card: “Back to Writing Love Songs” (Live) - B

9/19/25

[krispyweiss]

Album Review: Van Morrison - Remembering Now

Forty-seven albums into a 58-year recording career, Van Morrison returns to form on Remembering Now.

Running nearly 70 minutes, the album has nothing that qualifies as filler among its 14 tracks, reinforcing the 79-year-old Morrison’s astonishing late-career creativity. This ongoing passion is enough to make the softer spots palatable if not essential.

Leaving behind his recent conspiracy theorizing and other right-wing themes he peddled during the COVID-19 pandemic, Morrison writes about his music (the title track), his gratitude (“Love, Lover and Beloved”) and his youth in Northern Ireland on “Stomping Ground;” the latter are but two of a handful of orchestral ballads that recall Morrison’s Enlightenment era.

And Morrison does a lot of recycling on Remembering Now, most obviously on “If it Wasn’t for Ray,” a slowed-down recasting of “Wild Night,” and the “Tupelo Honey” soundalike that is “Haven’t Lost My Sense of Wonder.”

Amid these rehashes and occasional lightweight songs are a couple of tracks headed for Morrison’s canon. “Down to Joy” is a horn-driven delight casting the prickly singer in contentment and “Cutting Corners” is a humble admission of Morrison feeling low but … acting strong; both would fit nicely on a concert playlist loaded with classics from his discography.

Mostly though, it’s just refreshing to hear Morrison sounding like a normal bloke again.

Grade card: Van Morrison - Remembering Now - B-

7/22/25

[allthedesiredusernamesaretaken]

... listen to music ...

[krispyweiss]

Song Review: Van Morrison - “Remembering Now”

Another in a long list of songs in which Van Morrison reassures himself and his fans he was born to do what he does, “Remembering Now” is based on one simple premise:

This is who I am

A five-minute ballad that finds the singer declaring a guitar … took me very far, the title track from Morrison’s next album is a stream-of-consciousness jumble of words over the slowly building 4/4 time signature.

Which is say, “Remembering Now” is a bit of a toss-off that doesn’t match the high quality of “Cutting Corners” and “Down to Joy,” which preceded it.

Remembering Now arrives June 13.

Grade card: Van Morrison - “Remembering Now” - C

6/11/25

[krispyweiss]

Song Review: Van Morrison - “Down to Joy”

With “Down to Joy,” Van Morrison reminds listeners his modern persona is about more than conspiracy theorizing and science denying.

Originality recorded for 2021’s “Belfast” and reissued as the lead single from Remembering Now (June 13), the low-key, blue-eyed soul track recalls the sound and substance of Morrison’s Avalon Sunset/Enlightenment era as he sings:

Felt so good/gratitude/when I was coming down/something quite/quite profound/that I cried out loud

That Morrison’s voice isn’t all that different than it was back in 1989 is nearly as remarkable as the proof Morrison is not 100 percent curmudgeonly asshole in 2025.

Grade card: Van Morrison - “Down to Joy” - B

2/27/25

[detnuah]

forgot just how deeply american gods messed me up

[bluepebbled]

2 Am

Hey remember the time you were watching some Asian drama on tv that had that ice lady in it. Yeah and that older girl with you was like, "I know she's evil, but I love her."

And you were like thinking, "Heck yeah ice and powers" even though you had no idea what the plot was.

You were like really young too.

F O R E S H A D O W I N G