{"id":425818,"date":"2026-01-22T12:28:10","date_gmt":"2026-01-22T12:28:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/425818\/"},"modified":"2026-01-22T12:28:10","modified_gmt":"2026-01-22T12:28:10","slug":"van-morrison-somebody-tried-to-sell-me-a-bridge-americana-uk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/425818\/","title":{"rendered":"Van Morrison \u201cSomebody Tried to Sell Me a Bridge\u201d \u2013 Americana UK"},"content":{"rendered":"

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<\/a>Popular music icon explores the blues in depth and sounds just fine.<\/p>\n

\"\"And your humble writer gets to review yet another musical icon, in the form of Sir Van Morrison, as he releases the 51st \u00a0(give or take) solo album of a stellar career spanning more than 60 years across a wide range of musical genres; and, extraordinarily, he has become even more prolific in the last 10 years since turning 70,\u00a0 releasing more than an album a year, culminating in an album of predominantly blues covers sprinkled with a few new songs of his own.<\/p>\n

Morrison\u2019s musical career began in the late 50s as he learned to play guitar and saxophone as a teenager and featured in a variety of bands before forming Them in 1963, a quasi R\u2019n\u2019B group that released a string of singles, including rock standards such as\u00a0\u2018Gloria\u2019\u00a0and \u2018Baby Please Don\u2019t Go\u2019.\u00a0He left to go solo in 1967 after monetary disputes arising from the band\u2019s US tour, amongst other issues. In mid-1967 he released the single that catapulted his career; \u2018Brown-Eyed Girl\u2019 was a significant hit and appeared on a number of reviewers\u2019 lists of best pop or rock songs. It appeared on a debut album that was released without Morrison\u2019s approval due to a contract misunderstanding. Then came the two albums that rank amongst the very best in the history of modern popular music \u2013 the luminous folk masterpiece \u201cAstral Weeks\u201d, and the eclectic triumph \u201cMoondance\u201d \u2013\u00a0 and which cemented Morrison\u2019s status in the rock world. \u201cMoondance\u201d in particular included many of the musical styles that permeated his music going forward (folk, rock, jazz, r\u2019n\u2019b, pop, Irish and Celtic folk).<\/p>\n

Truth be told, not every one of his significant catalogue has been so universally praised as the two aforementioned, but every one has tracks that have resonated positively and his distinctive vocals and skilful and adventurous arrangements on his many cover versions have always been things to celebrate. He is often most praised for his enigmatic songwriting and he has introduced many differing styles to his music but it is most likely that his preferred style is the blues, considering how many, particularly of his later albums, have included elements of it. And he has the perfect voice for the blues without being able to replicate the booming depths of the original blues masters.<\/p>\n

Considering his obvious love for that genre, it is perhaps surprising that in his entire canon of work, only one previous album before this new 2026 release has delved deep into those old masters and reinterpreted them, that being the excellent 2017 release \u201cRoll with the Punches\u201d which had 10 blues covers,\u00a0 and 5\u00a0 Morrison originals that fit the tone of the album, such as the title track. His innate knack for timing transformed songs like the \u2018Stormy Monday\/Lonely Avenue\u2019 mash-up into an outstanding modern interpretation and helped to keep alive the old blues traditions in the face of new modern blues stylists.<\/p>\n

Fast forward to 2026 and Morrison releases \u201cSomebody Tried to Sell Me a Bridge\u201d, and proceeds to perform the same trick, with his voice (at 80) still intact and his ability to attract star names to play with him, and select cracking sidesmen for the project. This time around he has called on the talents of Elvin Bishop, Taj Mahal, and Buddy Guy on an album of 20 tracks, of which just 4 are Morrison originals. As usual with Morrison albums, the runtime is long, in this case running to more than 80 minutes. A listen in one go takes some aural stamina and an artist trying this has to be very sure of his devoted fans\u2019 patience and ensure that there is little or no filler.\u00a0 This is a recurrent theme as his albums regularly exceed 60\/70 minutes. including those that have explored specific genres, e.g. country (\u201cThree Chords and the Truth\u201d), skiffle (\u201cMoving on Skiffle\u201d),\u00a0 instrumentals (\u201cBeyond Words\u201d) or rock\u2019n\u2019roll history (\u201cAccentuate the Positive\u201d).<\/p>\n

\u2018Somebody Tried to Sell Me a Bridge\u2019 is a very solid album, with Morrison paying homage to blues songwriters from Chicago to Memphis to Texas. Apart from the star turns, the session men on the album are amongst the longest established in the field of Chicago and jump blues; David Hayes on bass, Larry Vann and Bobby Ruggiero on drums,\u00a0 Anthony Paule on electric blues guitar, Mitch Woods on, particularly, jump blues piano, and the outstanding John Allair on Hammond organ and B3 (\u2018nobody plays organ like that\u2019, says Morrison).<\/p>\n

The album kicks off with a couple of Eddie \u2018Cleanhead\u2019 Vinson songs, led into by Morrison\u2019s excellent sax riffs and you soon get the feel of how good these musicians are. After another couple of blues staples comes the first example of Morrison\u2019s truly interpretative skills as he slows down Fat Domino\u2019s \u2018Ain\u2019t That a Shame\u2019 (in a way that he did on the \u201cPunches\u201d album with Sam Cooke\u2019s \u2018Bring it on Home to Me\u2019.) Next up he slays Dave Lewis\u2019 \u2018Madame Butterfly Blues\u2019, and then lets Taj Mahal share the vocals on Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee\u2019s \u2018Can\u2019t Help Myself\u2019; same share of vocals on the traditional \u2018Betty and Dupree\u2019. where Allair really shines. Very early bluesman Blind Blake (1896 to 1934) supplies \u2018Delia\u2019s Gone\u2018, an incongruously lightly swinging blues with Taj Mahal on harmonica and some great harmony backing on a famously dark murder ballad from the year 1900. The back up singers are excellent throughout.<\/p>\n

Morrison\u2019s first contribution as songwriter is on the Chicago blues style \u2018Monte Carlo Blues\u2019 with its lovely rolling guitar \u2013 it\u2019s a worthy contribution to the album. And just to prove his bona fides, he delivers the excellent slow blues \u2018Loving Memories\u2018. Elvin Bishop shines on this one, as do the backing singers with their call-and-response vocals.\u00a0Another highlight is \u2018Play the Honky Tonks\u2018, from the pen of R\u2019n\u2019B soul singer Marie Adams, with its great lyric\u00a0\u201cgonna play the high class joints, gonna play the low class joints, hey baby I\u2019m even gonna play the honky tonks\u201d.\u00a0 Interestingly Morrison\u2019s next contribution is more of a 60s doo-wop \u2018Social Climbing Scene\u2018, while the title track takes its cue from an authentic early 1900s idiom \u201cif you believe that, I have a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you\u201d (conman George C Parker tried this on people as a scam)<\/p>\n

\u2018You\u2019re the One\u2018, by the less well-known Don Robey (otherwise known as Deadric Malone), is another slow gospel blues, enhanced by Bishop again, before the album closes with two standard Chicago blues, Willie Dixon\u2019s \u2018I\u2019m Ready\u2019, before the final track, BB King\u2019s loping \u2018Rock Me Baby\u2019, highlighting both the blues guitar skills of Buddy Guy and Morrison\u2019s interpretative innovations.<\/p>\n

There are no frills to this album\u2019s arrangements, aside from Morrison\u2019s occasional vocal stylings, it has reverence for the blues in spades, there is good pacing and variety throughout and overall is a fine exploration of his musical roots. And shows that Morrison is not ready to slow down just yet.<\/p>\n

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