Produced by Morrison, Don Was and Bob Rock, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer's latest effort has him digging through a vast treasure trove of material and calling in an A-list of fellow singers (George Benson, Michael Bublé, Natalie Cole, Taj Mahal, Mavis Staples, Steve Winwood and Bobby Womack among others).
Those songwriting chops aside, Morrison's first strength is a vocal dexterity sans histrionics.
Here, despite (or perhaps because of) the auspicious company, his voice soars to rarefied heights.
• Van Morrison. Duets: Re-Working The Catalogue. RCA.
• Four stars (out of five)
Single download: Fire In The Belly
For those who like: Sharon Jones, Paolo Nutini
- Shane Gilchrist
