Keep It Simple BY Van Morrison Reviewed by Adam D. Miller    With a catalogue of more than thirty titles, Van Morrison has more than a couple albums you can’t live without (Astral Weeks, Moondance, It’s Too Late To Stop Now) and at least a dozen or more you forgot about, or didn’t even know existed in the first place. It’s not that these were bad records; some, like 1982’s Beautiful Vision and 1999’s Back on Top, were actually quite good. But something is missing, and has been for some time.Over the past decade, Morrison has released no less than eight records; an impressive feat for a singer-songwriter approaching his sixth decade as a commercial recording artist. However, unlike other legendary artists of his generation, like Bob Dylan and Neil Young, Morrison isn’t so much adding to his canon as churning out mostly-forgettable records. Enjoyable as they were, 2003’s What’s Wrong With This Picture? and 2005’s Magic Time have already been forgotten by casual listeners and Morrison fans alike. You can add Keep It Simple, Morrison’s first album of all new original material since Back On Top, to that list. The album isn’t bad. On the contrary, Morrison’s songwriting is still sharp, his voice intact and his band top-notch as usual. The disappointment stems from the fact that the songs don’t grab you in the same way that Morrison’s classic records did. “That’s Entrainment,” the third track on the album, may be about a special state of mind in which the listener is entranced by the music, but ultimately we are left tapping our feet to catchy R&B numbers like “How Can A Poor Boy” and “Don’t Go To Nightclubs Anymore.” “Entrainment” is better ascribed to tracks like 1972’s “Listen To The Lion” and 1987’s “I’m Tired Joey Boy.” Nothing here manages to fit the bill. Keep It Simple is a perfectly listenable record. Unfortunately for Van Morrison, being listenable isn’t what got us hooked on his work in the first place. Add this record to the aforementioned pile of Morrison records you forgot about, because in a few months you’ll have returned to your old favorites. “Not bad” isn’t enough of a reaction to make this one we’ll remember for long. |  |
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