I’m a huge Van Morrison fan so factor that into my review of Duets: Reworking the Catalogue. I admit this is an uneven CD. Some of the duets worked for me, but some of them didn’t. The song selection is a curious mix of classic Van Morrison songs and some oddities. There’s something here for everyone’s musical tastes: ballads, blues, jazz, and rock & roll. Well worth a listen! GRADE: B+
TRACK LIST:
1 Some Peace Of Mind – Bobby Womack (5:14)
2 If I Ever Needed Someone – Mavis Staples (3:49)
3 Higher Than The World – George Benson (3:49)
4 Wild Honey – Joss Stone (6:22)
5 Whatever Happened to P.J. Proby – P. J. Proby (3:42)
6 Carrying A Torch – Clare Teal (4:53)
7 The Eternal Kansas City – Gregory Porter (4:11)
8 Streets of Arklow – Mick Hucknail (4:57)
9 These Are The Days – Natalie Cole (3:51)
10 Get On With The Show – George Fame(4:42)
11 Rough God Goes Riding – Shana Morrison (4:24)
12 Fire In The Belly – Steve Winwood (6:40)
13 Born To Sing – Chris Farlowe (3:59)
14 Irish Heartbeat – Mark Knopfler (5:15)
15 Real Real Gone – Michael Bublé (4:00)
16 How Can A Poor Boy? – Taj Mahal (6:33)
Looks like he stayed away from his more familiar songs. Didn’t realize PJ Proby was still around.
Steve, PJ Proby sang one of my favorite songs, “I Can’t Make It Without You.” It’s a Goffin/King song with a Righteous Brothers sound.
Nice mix here.
Patti, there’s something for everyone on this CD. Plenty of variety.
We were just discussing whether or not to buy this yesterday. Sounds like an odd mix of songs. We probably will get it in the end.
Proby had a heart attack 20 years ago but is still going strong at 76.
Jeff, Proby had a checkered career. I was surprised to learn he was still around.
Though popular these days, these duet albums seem odd to me, patch jobs in a way. I doubt I’d listen to it more than once without skipping a lot of the songs.
Rick, you’re right about the popularity of duet albums. And, you’re right about the hit-or-miss quality of the songs.