Pay the Devil
| Van Morrison
Pay the Devil
Pay the Devil is the thirty-second studio album by Northern Irish singer/songwriter Van Morrison. It was released in 2006 by Lost Highway. The album features twelve cover versions of American country and western tunes and three original compositions. It debuted at #26 on The Billboard 200 and peaked at #7 on Top Country Albums; it was listed at #10 on Amazon Best of 2006 Editor's Picks in Country in December 2006.-Wikipedia
Critic Reviews
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Rolling Stone
2006. The album is pleasant but uninspiring, perhaps because Morrison’s whiskey voice matches up so easily with these bourbon-soaked songs. While Morrison does nothing discreditable with this material, he also finds nothing new in it.
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BBC Music
2006. Well, it's not quite clear who got paid to release this, but the devil should be the least of George Ivan Morrison's worries. This sorry collection of country classics and self-penned ditties simply beggars belief.
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All Music
2006. Pay the Devil, an album-long foray into country music, shouldn't come as a surprise to Van Morrison fans. It's a logical extension of his love affair with American music.
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Pop Matters
2006. Overall, Pay the Devil is a simple album with a couple of remarkable Morrison performances -- which is just enough to make it impossible to write one of our masters' epitaph.
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Slant Magazine
2006. . . . so much of the album seems rushed or tossed off, particularly when it comes to Morrison’s vocal delivery on tracks like “Big Blue Diamonds” or “Your Cheatin’ Heart”; the passion’s there, but technically, the overall effect is that of goofing around in the studio before rolling tape for real.
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Exclaim!
2006. His steady stream of releases over the past decade has showed flashes of old brilliance, but nothing thats displayed much growth in his artistic vision. This is what makes Pay the Devil immediately significant, since it is Morrisons first full-fledged country album, and in its mix of standards and originals theres an obvious energy that comes with tackling a new genre.
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Music OMH
2006. Pay The Devil is a collection of mainly covers of country music standards beloved by Morrison, and is the sad sound of a man on auto-pilot.
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The Guardian
006. Twanging his way through the repertoires of Hank Williams, Conway Twitty, Big Joe Turner and George Jones, Van skates across the aural landscape as if born on a back porch in Nashville.
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Boise Weekly Music Reviews
2006. Pay the Devil is both reassuring and stimulating. If you like classic country music and you've ever liked Van Morrison, this one's for you.
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CLAUS Album Reviews
From first cut to last, this is a bad record of the first water; apart from Van's own trademark wailing, mewling, bawling yelp which manages to make even the most simple and prosaic lyric unintelligible, 'Pay The Devil' offers up band arrangements so cheesy that they would make TR Dallas cringe in embarrassment.
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Natinal Public Radio
2006. The album has Morrison reprising songs made famous by Hank Williams, Webb Pierce and Connie Smith.
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Concert Livewire
2006. True, Pay the Devil--Van's venture into country music--may not be everyone's bottle of whiskey. Yet it's the grittiest, most spirited CD Van has cut in years.
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Austin Chronicle Music
2006. Country isn't lowest common denominator music, and singing it well requires the right phrasing, but it's not Morrison's style.
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Laut.de
2006. "Pay The Devil" is primarily a tribute to country singer that address existential issues in their pieces. This is not about murder or beautiful women, but about the love, addiction, despair and the general pitfalls of life. Interpreted with a playfulness that underlines the serious content.
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Are You On Something.com
2006. Although Pay the Devil may not be an essential Van Morrison recording, it is however a fine piece of work and one that again showcases the talent and versatility of this legendary artist.
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Scaruffi
Pay The Devil (Lost Highway, 2006) continues to struggle within the fundamental contradiction of his mid-life crisis: music that aims at being so profound but ends up being perceived as pleasant background.
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Freaky Party
2006. He has tried everything from cosmic consciousness to earthy R&B - but this is Van Morrison's first country album. And he sounds enlivened, even happy, nestling among the steel guitar and bottomless suffering.
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eil.com
VAN MORRISON Pay The Devil . . . from the Belfast Cowboy in which he has drawn upon the greats of Rhythm & Blues to create his own distinctive and influential blend of souland Celtic influences, and explores his inner cowboy more than ever to record a compelling mix of his favourite country compositions as well as a few equally strong originals that more than earn their place among such distinguished company.
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