Keep Me Singing
| Van Morrison
Keep Me Singing
Keep Me Singing is the 36th studio album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison. The album was released on 30 September 2016, by Caroline Records.-Wikipedia
Critic Reviews
Show All-
Consequence of Sound
2016. There are very few constants in life, but another warm record from Van the Man seems par for the course. Regardless of form, his albums consistently offer new windows into the mind and heart of one of the most enigmatic figures in modern pop/rock/folk history.
-
Rolling Stone
2016. Yet through arrangements elegant to a fault, his mercurial tenor, more supple and restrained, remains a marvel.
-
All Music
2016. Morrison has no interest in innovation, he's already done that. The pace here is (mostly) laid-back, the music drenched in jazz, R&B, blues, and classy pop. He revels throughout in an elegant slow burn; his lyric themes are bittersweet, melancholic, filled with emotional and symbolic memory; his longing for the previous prevalent.
-
Mojo
2016. Van achieves a state of grace on gently glowing new album.
-
Entertainment
2016. . . . unlike his past few efforts, Keep Me Singing finds the 71-year-old freshly reinvigorated, with the singer plunging as deep into his own sense of mystical self-discovery as he’s been since 2005’s Magic Time.
-
Glide Magazine
2016. What is ultimately so frustrating with the album is that, on the baker’s dozen tracks he’s produced here, Van the Man himself doesn’t sound like he’s deeply engaged. It’s almost as if Morrison isn’t inclined to embrace his emotions, but rather keep them at a distance, and these new original songs he’s composed, as well as his performances of them, follow suit.
-
Financial Times
2016. Van Morrison’s 36th studio album, Keep Me Singing, is his first set of new songs since 2012’s Born to Sing: No Plan B. That the newly knighted Sir Van can still sing is indisputable: at 71, his soulful bark remains in impressively fine form. But judged by his towering past standards the songs are less notable.
-
Relix
2016. The album is devoid of the ethereality that has often marked his work, free of the stream-of-consciousness vocal ramblings. Here, Morrison presents 13 structured tunes, melodies so warm and comforting you’ll want to wear them as a winter coat.
-
All About Jazz
2016. On his current recording, Keep Me Singing, Morrison turns on the air conditioning and relaxes. There are no hard R&B edges to be found on the baker's dozen of songs here. The singer resurrects Nelson Riddle in Fiachra Tench, who provides lush strings throughout.
-
Pop Matters
2016. The Irish singer draws on a variety of vocal traditions from Celtic folk to contemporary jazz, and he combines them through the sheer force of his being.
-
NZ Herald
2016. Keep Me Singing then is a Van Morrison that will be dissected and compared. But you can relax from the get-go because this is a fine album. Van hasn't just trawled the lyrics that he has in his war chest, he's brought new gems to the table.
-
The National Arts & Culture
2016. With playful references to past lyrics, nods to heroes such as Sam Cooke and Chet Baker, and heartfelt singing throughout, Morrison harks back to the gentle, wistful spirit that made him Hollywood’s go-to guy for movie soundtracks.
-
Music Connection
2016. But, seriously, this legend has not rested on his laurels; he continues to evolve. Save for the blues standard “Share Your Love with Me,” Morrison penned a dozen tunes that stand with some of his best. There is no pretention or false swagger, just an honest delivery of heart and soul.
-
Off the Tracks
2016. It’s his first collection of new material in four years – and his best in maybe 30, certainly in over 20 – and that might not be enough for anyone cruel enough to hold 71 year old Sir Van to the daunting standards of his very best earlier works . . . but Keep Me Singing is at the very least pretty good.
-
Record Collector Magazine
he tracks drift by like soporific imitations of past glories – for the most part there’s nothing especially wrong with the songs, they just sound as if they could have been composed using a Van Morrison Song Generator.
-
De Volkskrant
2016. Not that there is much news under the sun on this 36th studio album, the first album with new work since 2012. In style, composition and melody lines it is all 'vintage Van'.
-
Blues Magazine
2016. All in all Van Morrison has delivered an all but innovative but fine growth plate with 'Keep Me Singing'. With a few tracks that can stand the test of time amply. Thank you, Van!
-
Herald Standard
2016. Having written nearly 400 songs during his iconic career, the 71-year-old singer-songwriter delivers another engaging set that seamlessly blends elements of R&B, jazz, blues and Celtic folk.
-
Spectrum Culture
2016. Having firmly settled into his advancing years, Morrison here sounds as confident as ever, willfully taking the music at his own measured pace, retaining contemplative tempos and restrained melodies to better underscore his inimitable vocal nuances.
-
AP News
2016. When Van Morrison’s fiercest critic likes his work it’s easy to tell. There’s an audible murmur of approval, and it comes from the man himself. But an older, less audacious Morrison can still soothe the soul when he is into the music — and he won’t be the only one murmuring his approval this time.
-
Classic Rock Magazine
2016. So the 36th studio album of the Northern Irish bard is certainly not his best, it does not break any worlds. It's still nice, sometimes nostalgic.
-
Cambridge Music Reviews
Following on from the excellent ‘Duets’ from last year, this is a fine and welcome addition to the living legend’s catalogue.
-
Bourbon and Vinyl
2016. This is a triumph for Van to put out something this strong at this stage in the game. I always worry about craft over creativity with Van, but in this case, creativity wins out. There’s passion on this record.
-
The Arts Desk
2016. First new work for four years is beautiful but nostalgic
-
Paris Move
With almost forty albums to his credit, it is no longer necessary to present the Irish Van Morrison. It is already quite a moment that we speak of him only as an artist who, having reached the fullness of his art of composer and singer, only produces discs lining irreproachable melancholic strolls to undeniable poetry .
-
RNZ
2016. The rest of Keep Me Singing is a fairly predictable and very enjoyable survey of the styles Van has been serving up these past few decades: a touch of blues, a hint of swing, and a single cover song, one he has strong connect
-
Sounds And Books
2016. A beautiful, soulful and melancholic new Van Morrison album.
-
The Afterword
2016. This album can sit easy with the others of this oeuvre the man has produced. I find it hard to imagine anyone who likes a spot of tuneful blues/soul tinged adult pop who wouldn’t enjoy it.
-
Laut.de
2016. With a bevy of accompanying musicians, a relaxed jazz - pop album emerged that can not really be chalked up, except that it sounds a bit too lovely.
-
Escuta Essa Review
2016. It's not sensational or a big highlight in his career, but it's also not disappointing at all. It is very worth hearing. It is a delightful album to listen to and represents an inspired moment of the singer.
-
TAIS 2019 Awards
2016.. For his 36th studio album, Keep Me Singing, Van the Man has assembled a collection of 12 completely new and totally original songs to go along with a cover of the blues standard “Share Your Love With Me”, a song made famous by Aretha Franklin in 1970. As a whole, Keep Me Singing is a record pierced with a severe, self~reflective melancholy.
-
Hot Press
2016. . . . Keep Me Singing presents the mellower, more laid-back side of the now 71-year-old legend. But it’s still Van as we know him; that voice is as strong and expressive as ever, while the songs are a mix of familiar-sounding, soulful ballads and mid-tempo jazz-influenced tunes.
Rate This Album and Leave Your Comments