You Win Again

Van Morrison and Linda Gail Lewis

What next for Van Morrison? Already this year he's gone back to his skiffle roots with The Skiffle Sessions, hauling on board for that project the great Lonnie Donegan. And now Van-the-man returns to a time when he was Van-the-boy, digging the kind of pure country music made by Hank Williams and the frenetic rock 'n' roll sounds fashioned by Jerry Lee Lewis.

Well, Hank couldn't make it for this gig, nor did Jerry Lee (what a killer combination that would have been), so Van's got the next best thing, the killer's sister: Linda Gail Lewis. Anyone who's read her biography, Me, The Devil And Jerry Lee will know our Linda Gail is a feisty woman, who's lived life to the hilt. And it shows in her vocals: she's a match for Van in a blistering version of the 1970s Jerry Lee hit 'Let's Talk About Us', which kicks off the album in fiery form. Then it's back to the fifties and sixties for Van/Linda Gail covers of some of the Killer's most famous hits, 'You Win Again', 'Jambalaya', 'Crazy Arms' and 'Ol' Black Joe'. At this point one wonders is the albums a coded tribute to Jerry Lee Lewis. Maybe it is. Jerry Lee sure seems like Van's kind of guy!

The bluesy feel of 'Think Twice Before You Go' and the western swing of the one new Van composition on the album, 'No Way Pedro', are totally irresistible. In the latter, Van-the-Boy really shines through, singing about another of his early heroes, cowboy stars, like The Lone Ranger and The Cisco Kid. Great fun.

And this is what is so delicious about Van's latest run of albums. Sure, they lack the depth of his seminal records and often seem to be rolling off an assembly line, but what’s clear is that the guy is having a great time making music again. And the mood is almost exclusively upful.

This really applies to cuts like the final track, 'Boogie Chillen', which sounds less like boogie than Tony Joe White swamp music. So is You Win Again Van's party album? To a great degree, yep.

So what next for Van Morrison? A pure Gospel album? A Showband album? Don't be surprised?

Train he rides is fifteen coaches long, after all.