Matt
Van Morrison has teamed up with organist and trumpeter Joey DeFrancesco and his band for his latest offering making this, his 39th album “Your Driving Me Crazy” with quite a few of the songs included from his extensive back catalogue and some Standards thrown in for good measure. Jazz is the theme for this latest album as the previous “Versatile” was and as we all know Van has covered just about every mainstream genre of music throughout his career including Rock, Blues, Country, Celtic and Folk thrown in for good measure and this could be one of the main reasons for his durability maintaining his popularity by keeping the variety coming. Joey DeFrancesco has been around for a while as well since 1989 with his first Hard Bop release “All Of Me” and since has garnered quite a bit of acclaim with plenty of albums since and has pretty much been playing music since he first started at four years of age.
The Cole Porter song “Miss Otis Regrets” get things started with more of a leaning towards the slower take that Ella Fitzgerald used with Joey DeFrancesco on organ and trumpet for this relaxed opening number. “Hold It Right There” is perhaps not a Jazz standard but more towards Jump Blues that Joe Williams and Eddie (Cleanhead) Vinson had previously released with Van giving it a bit of his own touch with the addition of great little sax solo from Troy Roberts from Joey’s band inserted. “All Saints Day” originally came out Van’s 1991 album “Hymns To The Silence” and like that one both takes are organ based. “The Way Young Lovers Do” from “Astral Weeks” is quite a different feel to the original being mainly guitar backed with this more Jazzed up with the Joey’s organ right behind Van. The title ‘”Your Driving Me Crazy” was originally done by Guy Lombardo with a later take from Sinatra but Van’s version seems to be his own with quite a lovely take for this old song. “Close Enough For Jazz” Van has already recorded twice prior but with the songs construction why not as it just sits beautifully with album’s theme. There is another go at “Have I Told You Lately” originally appearing on “Avalon Sunset” with other back catalogue numbers “Goldfish Bowl”, “Evening Shadows”, “Magic Time” and a few more Standards with the album finishing up lovely little take of “Celtic Swing” originally from the album “Inarticulate Speech Of The Heart”
Nice little album with some great vibes and vocals but perhaps some new material might have helped but still even with that moan it is quite a nice little groover to have on.