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| Keep It Simple | 
 enlarge | Artist: Van Morrison
Label: Lost Highway
Category: Music
List Price: $13.98
Buy New: $6.79
You Save: $7.19 (51%)
New (54) Used (18) from $5.93
Avg. Customer Rating:  65 reviews
Sales Rank: 357
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 4.9 x 0.4
MPN: 001065802
UPC: 602517630789
EAN: 0602517630789
ASIN: B0012QGP00
Release Date: April 1, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 Weak Singing April 1, 2008
26 out of 36 found this review helpful
I have been hearing alot about how well his voice is sounding on this record and after hearing the BBC live versions i was excited about hearing the album. I must say however that the studio version features some of the most incredibly weak singing from the man that I have heard to date. He completely ruins the title track in the second verse of the song where it sounds like he needs a good throat clearing. There is an incredible amount of lazy slurring and mumbling as well. There are some other examples of this on the album and it just sounds like he really needed to do a second or third take on the singing. My disappointment stems from the outstanding live renditions of the new album where he sounds terrific. One of the reasons why I admire him so much has been the voice, at 62 its quite possible we may be approaching the twilight of his vocal powers. This album is worth 3 stars but due to the uninspired vocals i give it a 2.
Time To Pull Over. The Van's Almost Out Of Gas. April 9, 2008
22 out of 33 found this review helpful
Van Morrison will long be remembered as one of the most original and influential artists of his day. Famously grumpy, self-absorbed, inscrutable and constantly rebelling against the music industry and all its trappings, he outlasted and outshone his contemporaries, compiling a catalog of some of the most inspired melodies, images and vocal phrasings ever recorded.
Unfortunately, he's been running on fumes for about ten years now, pretty much coasting in the guise of a quirky lounge singer in a goofy hipster costume, complete with shades and a porkpie hat. His recordings and live performances have offered little more than bland, reheated renditions of the jazz, blues and country songs that influenced him in his youth.
This album simply offers more of the same. Eight of the 11 songs are forgettable, albeit competent, facsimiles of some vaguely familiar blues and country tunes. Three of them - That's Entrainment, Keep It Simple and Behind The Ritual - are a bit more interesting, if only for being vague facsimiles of previous, and much better, Van Morrison tunes.
The man is obviously tired. His once-magical voice is ragged and mushy. His melodies and lyrics are uninspired. And, when they appear, the cloyingly soulless Ray Conniff-like background singers only add to the pervasive feeling of ennui that runs throughout the CD. Blah blah blah, indeed.
Please don't let "Keep It Simple" be your introduction to this legendary performer. Pick up any CD from "Back On Top" or earlier - even his highly flawed "Period Of Transition" - and experience the full force of the genius that was Van Morrison.
In the meantime, I'll keep hoping he has one more great thing in him before he runs out of gas completely.
What happened? April 4, 2008
21 out of 31 found this review helpful
I love love love Van Morrison, have practically all his CDs. Every single one has at least one song that makes me swoon, till this one. I don't care if I ever hear any of these songs again. I am absolutely bewildered.
Not that it's bad, just forgettable. He sounds fine, the musicians are very good. But I don't care about this CD. When he sang a chorus of "Blah blah blah" on the last track, it was kind of infuriating. Like he deliberately kept himself aloof from this music, just put it out because he had a contractual obligation or whatever. Literally the best part is the cover photo, which is awesome. I so loved the comment that he was posing for Mount Rushmore. But Van - where'd you go? And are you coming back?
 (3.5 STARS) SOME GOOD MUSIC AND SOME RESPECTABLE SONGS - BUT A BIT TOO SIMPLE ? April 1, 2008
20 out of 25 found this review helpful
Before reviewing this album, perhaps I should say that I only have 4 VM albums - 'Astral Weeks, 'Moondance' (both originally on vinyl), 'Tupelo Honey' and 'Veedon Fleece'; so any comparisons that I make, are with the music from these albums. Apart from the odd song, I am not familiar with his more recent stuff.
Turning to 'Keep It Simple' :
THE VOCALS - Sometimes I've found VM's voice, especially on the high notes, to be too jarring for my ears; but his vocals on 'Keep It Simple' have a smoother and 'lived in' quality - also, his singing is (intentionally ?) slurred at times. Whilst his vocals are quite soulful, they seem to lack some of the passion and intensity to be found on earlier albums. His delivery is, comparatively, straight forward - it's missing much of the unusual phrasing and improvisations that I have come to expect (but you do get the occasional flourish).
THE SONGS - The blurb in the product description talks about 'gorgeous songs rich with emotion, depth and beauty'. Well I certainly wouldn't go this far, whoever wrote this should listen to songs such as 'Cyprus Avenue', 'Madame George', 'Slim Slow Slider', 'Into The Mystic', 'Brand New Day', 'Tupelo Honey', 'Linden Arden Stole The Highlights' or 'Country Fair' - in my opinion, these are all exceptionally fine songs. 'Keep It Simple' is a very different album from the ones that I already own, and the songs on it are consistent with the contemplative mood and subdued ambience of the album. Comparing the songs on 'Keep It Simple', with those that I've cited from earlier albums, is rather like comparing 'oranges with bananas' - both fruit and both sweet, but stimulating different sets of taste buds. Nevertheless having said this, I think the songs on 'Keep It Simple' are OK to reasonably good (apart from one or two) - but I don't think any are exceptional.
THE PRODUCTION AND PLAYING - The production and arrangements (by the man himself) are superb, and the overall feel of the album is warm and relaxed (I'd say a very natural and 'unadulterated' sound) - and there is also a slight edginess to the music. VM seems to have assembled some fine musicians here, instruments played include : guitars (acoustic, electric, steel and bass), organ/piano, percussion/drums, harmonica, fiddle, ukulele, banjo, mandolin, accordion and saxophone - there is plenty of instrumental variety. The playing is elegant and restrained (apart from John Allair, who occasionally cuts loose on the Hammond organ*), and it more than adequately, adds extra texture to the music as it 'glides and grooves' behind the vocals (*the album features a few short solos by John Allair and his flamboyant, yet graceful, style of playing is a delight). I'm a bit surprised that some pre-release reviews describe the album's sound as 'stripped back' - I usually associate this with sparse acoustic or semi-acoustic accompaniment and 'hands off' production; but this is not the case on 'Keep It Simple' - there is more instrumental depth than the term 'stripped back' would imply.
Some brief comments about the songs which appealed to me most :
HOW CAN A POOR BOY - A slow shuffling blues number; VM's delivery is perfect for this type of song; some great playing and backing vocals from the band - don't miss the fine harmonica (Ned Edwards) and terrific organ solo (John Allair). Also, listen out for how the sound is slightly pared down at about 4 minutes into the song. Good music, well performed.
LOVER COME BACK - A wistful love song and, although I think the song itself is a little nondescript, it's a gently swaying waltz with some strong vocals from VM; it also includes some tasteful organ and outstanding steel guitar playing (Cindy Cashdollar).
END OF THE LAND - A slow tempo, soulful song with something of a 'classic' VM spirituality about it. It features a brief organ solo and some fluent electric guitar playing (John Platania, I think) - more good music, 'short but sweet'.
BEHIND THE RITUAL - A slow to mid-tempo song - a mix of country blues and gospel, and having a slight mystical quality (another song with a 'classic' VM feel to it). With its infectious syncopated rhythms, the song quiety grooves along. VM fills one verse with 'blah' at least 30 times - not many singers could get away with this, and I'm not convinced he does either (still, it's only one verse!). At 7 minutes, I thought the song was a little too long.
Some of the remaining songs are also well worth a listen - but 'School of Hard Knocks', 'Song of Home' and 'No Thing' didn't do a great deal for me.
By VM standards, 'Keep It Simple' is a fairly mellow, 'easy on the ear' album, i.e. it doesn't place quite the same demands upon the listener as does some of the music from his early albums. Whilst the music is subtle and far from superficial, in terms of the transcendent qualities of his music, I think 'Keep It Simple' falls well short of 'Astral Weeks' or 'Veedon Fleece' (but this aspect of VM's music might not be of interest to you).
Not having bought a VM album for many years, and eagerly anticipating an album of new songs all penned by him, I was looking forward to 'Keep It Simple' - initially, it was an anti-climax, but some of the tracks have since grown on me. It contains half a dozen or so decent songs and those who like' laid back' music with reflective lyrics and a 'bluesy-jazzy-soulful' sound (with a dash of Gaelic folk, country and gospel here and there) may well enjoy it immensely - particularly, if you are not too steeped in VM's early music. VM and his musicians seem more than capable of delivering this type of music and, I should add, not without a certain amount of flair also. However, fans wanting more of his energetic R&B-type music or songs with a strong country flavour, will find little of interest on this album.
So, I am somewhat ambivalent about 'Keep It Simple'; with many of his early albums, VM set the bar high and, with this in mind, I find it difficult to rate 'Keep It Simple' higher than 3 stars. On the other hand, he still produces music of a calibre that many contemporary artists can only aspire to. It's probably one of those albums that benefits from repeated listens - it's music that gets 'into your soul' rather than 'in your face'.
VM ? - he's still alright, he's 'alright with me' (but only just); 3.5 stars.
Not Back on Top April 3, 2008
20 out of 29 found this review helpful
The Man has provided enough enjoyable music to last several lifetimes, but after waiting three years for new original music fans are likely to be disappointed by first-take cuts with spare arrangements, bland melodies, and passe social commentary. Only the backup singers give the music a lift. The album seems to run on empty as opposed to creating sustainable music under the guise of "keeping it simple" (I suppose it's a fine line). Play this CD during a ride down a long country road (car top down) and it will be more palatable.
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