Pay the Devil - Dark Publications

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Editorial Reviews:

Amazon.com
With stunning album-length explorations of jazz and 1950s acoustic skiffle and a country-rockabilly collaboration with Linda Gail Lewis behind him, Van Morrison continues exploring classic country with compelling reinterpretations of standards from the 1950s to the 1970s. He reaches back over half a century for Hank Williams Sr.'s "Half As Much," "Your Cheatin' Heart," and "My Bucket's Got a Hole in It" and Webb Pierce's landmark honky-tonk hits "Back Street Affair," "There Stands the Glass," and "More and More." Moving to the mid-'60s, he capably explores George Jones's "Things Have Gone to Pieces" and Connie Smith's "Once a Day." The 1970s are his limit, however, as he probes Rodney Crowell's "'Til I Gain Control Again." Three Morrison originals blend nicely into this mix, as do two non-country favorites: Chuck Willis's "What Am I Living For" and a gleeful spin on Blue Lu Barker's 1938 jazzy, single-entendre favorite "Don't You Make Me High." Recorded in Ireland with uncluttered hard-country backing, Pay the Devil reiterates Morrison's own musical diversity and flair for making any song his own. --Rich Kienzle

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About the Artist
There's a reason they call Van Morrison the Belfast Cowboy. Now with Morrison's latest album Pay The Devil, that good reason has resulted in a great new album. From the start, the deeply soulful sounds of the American South helped inspire Morrison to one of the most enduring and consistently impressive careers in music history. For forty-years, he's drawn upon the greats of Rhythm & Blues to create his own distinctive and influential blend of soul and Celtic influences. On Pay The Devil, Morrison explores his inner cowboy more than ever before -- recording a compelling mix of his favorite country compositions as well as a few equally strong originals that more than earn their place among such distinguished company. And just as Morrison's longtime hero Ray Charles did once upon a time on Modern Sounds in Country & Western Music, Morrison has taken some enduring, endlessly relevant songs of the south and somehow made them all his own. Those who have been following Van Morrison for years might praise him for his remarkable range in taking this turn down a country road. Recent years have seen Morrison cover the musical waterfront with recordings that touch upon traditional Irish music, jazz, skiffle and other musical forms that move him. But the secret of Morrison's ongoing artistic success is that he has never followed fashion in the slightest. Rather he continues to be a working musician who simply follows his own soulful muse wherever it may lead him. The outstanding, plainspoken songs on Pay The Devil range from the familiar, like Morrison's impressive take on Hank Williams' "Your Cheating Heart" and Webb Pierce's "There Stands The Glass" to somewhat less familiar Country & Western gems. It is a true tribute to Morrison's genius as a vocal stylist that he can take a song as often covered as "Half As Much" -- recorded over the years by everyone from Hank Williams to Patsy Cline and Emmylou Harris - and manage to make it feel new all over again. He does so by clearly connecting with country's timeless themes of love and loss and life, sin and salvation. Through it all, Morrison proves to be one hell of a fine, subtle straight-ahead country singer in the grand tradition of George Jones. Indeed, one of Pay The Devil's many highlights is Morrison's take on "Things Have Gone To Pieces," a dark gem written by Leon Payne that Jones made famous. Then there's "What Am I Living For?" -- an old Chuck Willis number. Listen to how ! Morrison delivers Rodney Crowell's early masterpiece "Til I Gain Control Again" -- one of the more recent copyrights included here and a standout effort on an album full of them. Yet even among such high standards, Morrison's originals here are among the highlights - including "Playhouse" a sly, infectious song that one wishes the Genius of Soul had lived to record, and the title track - a reflection on making the devil's music and a fine reminder that "one man's meat is another man's poison" To listen to Pay The Devil, one might naturally assume that Morrison has traveled to Nashville and handed himself over to Music City's finest players and producers. Remarkably, Morrison has done nothing of the sort - recording Pay The Devil in Ireland with the same wonderful musicians who have been playing with him for years now with exceptional results. Even more remarkably, it turns out that Morrison has never even been to Nashville before. Regardless of that, he has made a classic album that sounds like Nashville at its finest and stands as tall as anything that's come out of the town in recent years. Pay The Devil is not just great country music, it's great music - whatever country you happen to come from. We've come to expect no less from Morrison. Finally, the Belfast Cowboy has come home.

Album Description
Pay The Devil is comprised of 15 tracks; three of these are originals and 12 are covers of some of Van Morrison's favorite classic country songs, including 'Your Cheatin Heart', 'Things Have Gone To Pieces' and 'Big Blue Diamonds'. Lost Highway. 2006.

Customer Reviews: Read 76 more reviews...

3 out of 5 stars

lip service March 7, 2006
88 out of 134 found this review helpful

Like other venerable aging musicians, Van is less the man and more one who wants to play at styles of music that had an influence on him as he was burning with passion in his younger days. Maybe he shouldn't have to carry the weight of expectation. None the less, while this is a very entertaining and competent run through of a country and western style, probably in homage to Ray Charles' C & W efforts, "entertaining and competent" aren't levels to which you'd expect the Belfast cowboy to slip. Listening to this is a bit like listening to recent outings by B.B. King, The Chieftains, Santana, Ray Charles: it isn't that this is somehow a disgrace, it's just that you know what the history is, so whether you are overpopulating your CD with guests or simply vamping through a defined style, it doesn't ring with the same authenticity that you remember from their essential works.
And this is NOT essential Van Morrison, especially given the fact the songs aren't all his. If you are looking for a good Van album to play when you're prancing around in cowboy boots you bought in Vegas or Atlantic City, well sure, this is the disc. But would you play this over anything from the 80's through the Georgie Fame collaborations? I didn't think so.
I'm not sure when or if Van has a great album left in him. He has burned through all the styles he relished as a young man, so, perhaps he has bought himself enough time to sit down and write something important, whether or not he likes the fact that his fans are waiting for just such an effort. Neil Young was on automatic pilot for nearly a decade before his aneurism issues and came up with a stunner in PRAIRIE WIND. I'd hate to see the grim reaper have to become the focusing agent for Van. Johnny Cash found in his last several years with Rick Rubin someone who got to the very soul of what he stood for and every last cut doen with Rubin is essentially and vitally of what Cash stood for, especially "Hurt." If you're going to cover someone else's song, you ought to re-work so it sounds like it's yours.
Van doesn't like feedback, but sooner or later, even the faithful will stop wanting to be entertained with lip service. Pay the devil, a mhic.

2 out of 5 stars

Never seems to take ownership of the songs April 14, 2006
50 out of 68 found this review helpful

A key reason I have liked so much of Van Morrison's body of work is his ability to own a song, whether his or someone else's. And Mr. Morrison is entitled to record in whatever genre suits his fancy.

So the problem I have with this set of tunes is that he never seems to take ownership of the songs; I tend to hear many of the tracks with their earlier, original vocals and can never quite suspend my impression that these covers are neither an improvement or viable re-creation.

There is plenty of sharp musicianship in evidence but not enough of the heart and soul I have come to expect from a Van Morrison album.

4 out of 5 stars

Van's Country Vein March 10, 2006
26 out of 33 found this review helpful

Even for faithful Van fans like me, recent years may have offered us great songs-Magic Time had a few-but not a stunning album. Pay The Devil, unfortunately is no exception to this trend.

This is not to say that this album is worthless, yet its value for you will depend on how much you love his voice, still stirring and soulful, and whether you can forgive a great artist for not churning out masterpiece after masterpiece.

With the exception of three tracks, this is a covers album, and the songs he's chosen hark back to very traditional Country that, by the way, Morrison does absolute justice to. Since I believe there's an innate plaintive quality to Van's voice and spirit, his love for Country and capacity to interpret it do not surprise me, yet I would have wished that these versions were more infused of the" Irish bard" in Morrison and dug deeper into the songs' soul.

The result is an album of great Country songs, none of which versions will necessarily be known as the ultimate rendition of such tune.

Reading this you may wonder why four stars, given my view. Well, I'm not taking one off because I wish he was more adventurous with this material-that's the artist's prerogative, not mine- yet, at the same time, it's not deserving of more than I awarded it. Five stars is Astral Weeks' territory.

5 out of 5 stars

The True King of the Road April 22, 2006
17 out of 19 found this review helpful

It is Friday night April 21st, 2006 in my part of the world. Just after midnight on a star-filled night. I know it was star-filled because I was fortunate enough to witness Van Morrison live in concert at the Hollywood Bowl. Van was in peak form. His band consisted of the most astonishing musicians in music today. I wish every young musician within a ten billion mile radius could have been there. Van played guitar, harmonica, saxophone and sang with more soul than any performer this side of Aretha or Ray. He smoked. And he performed half the songs on this CD. And he smoked. Don't pay attention to the carping blah, blah, blah in many of the reviews below. Van is and always will be the Man. Along with Aretha and Dylan, he only gets better with time. I raise my glass to you, Mr. Morrison.

5 out of 5 stars

This is Van Morrison best work in years March 8, 2006
16 out of 20 found this review helpful

Pay the Devil is Van's best work in years. This CD has a great old fashioned country sound to it. The title track is a beautiful song about someone who is lost and trying to find their way through life. But, my favorite track is There Stands The Glass. This is a song about how alcohol helps some people forget their troubles. Half As Much and There's a Hole in My Bucket are both gems on this album. I love all the instruments playing together on this track especially the piano and steel guitar. Your Cheating Heart is another one of my favorites. This is a classic song about a person who has been unfaithful to their partner. Big Blue Diamonds is a very good song about how a wealthy person would trade her riches for true love. Back Street Affair is an excellent song about a love between shared between two people that no body seems to understand and approve of. Van is accompanied nicely by Geraint Watkins on the piano on this track. Till I Gain Control Again is a very good song about a person who is honest about his mistakes and who is trying to make amends with the one he loves. I really enjoyed listening to this CD.

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