THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Van Morrison’s latest LP Remembering Now is his 47th studio album — but his first collection of new songs since 2022, following the acclaimed covers albums Moving On Skiffle and Accentuate The Positive.
With Remembering Now, Morrison returns to the transcendent, uncategorisable rhapsodies that make him unique. Soul, jazz, blues, folk, country — this is music in conversation with all of them but limited by none. It’s rich with hallmarks of classic Morrison, with songs about love in spirit (the escapist romance of Once In A Lifetime Feelings, the self-deprecating candour of The Only Love I Ever Need Is Yours) and specific references to locations from his youth in the title track and Stomping Ground. The title of another song, When The Rains Came, echoes a lyric from his classic Brown Eyed Girl. The single Down To Joy feels like he has gone back to his soul and gospel roots, its strong emphasis on an uplifting big-band arrangement with evocative strings providing fans with a taste of timeless sounds which represents the rest of the album.
From the radiant opener Down to Joy to the joyously resilient Haven’t Lost My Sense of Wonder, Morrison’s voice, guitar and saxophone continue to mesmerise. And he is surrounded, as always, by a fabulous band — Richard Dunn (Hammond organ), Stuart McIlroy (piano), Pete Hurley (bass) and Colin Griffin (drums and percussion) — who have worked with him since Three Chords And The Truth in 2019. Remembering Now also features an array of accomplished collaborators. Its strings were arranged and directed by Fiachra Trench (Paul McCartney, Elvis Costello), whose association with Morrison goes back to Avalon Sunset in 1989. Those strings were performed by the Fews Ensemble, led by Joanne Quigley. Other contributions come from Michael Beckwith, founder of the Agape International Spiritual Center, renowned lyricist Don Black (Ennio Morricone, John Barry, Quincy Jones); and acclaimed folk artist Seth Lakeman.”
