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The Prophet Speaks

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The Prophet Speaks
Studio album by
Van Morrison
Released7 December 2018
Recorded2018
StudioStudio D, Sausalito, California
GenreJazz
Length68:49
Label
ProducerVan Morrison, Joey DeFrancesco
Van Morrison chronology
You're Driving Me Crazy
(2018) 		The Prophet Speaks
(2018) 		Three Chords & the Truth
(2019)

The Prophet Speaks is the 40th studio album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison, and the second to feature jazz organist and trumpeter Joey DeFrancesco. Released on 7 December 2018 by Exile Productions and Caroline Records, it was his fourth album "of new material in just fifteen months".[1][2][3]

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic73/100[4]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[5]
American Songwriter[6]
The Guardian[7]
The Independent[8]
The Observer[9]
Paste7.2/10[10]
Rolling Stone[11]

The Prophet Speaks received generally positive reviews, with Metacritic giving it 73 / 100, based on 11 reviews.[4] It delivered "excellent songs, expertly rendered", leading The Observer to conclude that "Van Morrison’s current prolificacy clearly hasn’t compromised the quality of his output at all – this is another thoroughly enjoyable mix of vocal jazz and bluesy R&B."[1] Rolling Stone heralded it as "further proof that he’s still one of the most moving, unrivaled singers of his generation", suggesting that Morrison wants to convey "that he’s able to write old-time originals that are mostly indistinguishable" from the classics he covers. Its review finds it "moving to hear Morrison revert back to his primordial roots", but finds that the album "feels like another headstrong gesture of self-determination".[12] The Irish Times deemed it a "pleasure and a privilege to luxuriate" in the "exemplary" musicianship, concluding that "[at] his imperial best, Van the Man can still be mystical and magical after all these years.[13]

Track listing

[edit]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Gonna Send You Back to Where I Got You From"Eddie Vinson, Leona Blackman4:40
2."Dimples"John Lee Hooker, James Bracken5:33
3."Got to Go Where the Love Is"Van Morrison4:23
4."Laughin' and Clownin'"Sam Cooke5:31
5."5 am Greenwich Mean Time"Van Morrison5:37
6."Gotta Get You Off My Mind"Solomon Burke, Delores Burke, Josephine Burke Moore3:44
7."Teardrops"J.D. Harris6:00
8."I Love the Life I Live"Willie Dixon3:34
9."Worried Blues / Rollin' and Tumblin'"J.D. Harris6:22
10."Ain't Gonna Moan No More"Van Morrison6:15
11."Love Is a Five Letter Word"Gene Barge3:45
12."Love Is Hard Work"Van Morrison4:28
13."Spirit Will Provide"Van Morrison4:03
14."The Prophet Speaks"Van Morrison4:54
Total length:1:08:49

Personnel

[edit]
  • Van Morrison - vocals, alto saxophone, harmonica
  • Joey DeFrancesco - organ, keyboards, trumpet
  • Dan Wilson - acoustic and electric guitar
  • Troy Roberts - acoustic bass, tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone
  • Michael Ode - drums
  • Jim Stern - tambourine, recording, mixing
  • Shana Morrison - backing vocals on "Gotta Get You Off My Mind" and "Spirit Will Provide"

Charts

[edit]
Chart (2018) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[14] 49
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[15] 23
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[16] 35
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[17] 29
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[18] 22
Irish Albums (IRMA)[19] 50
Italian Albums (FIMI)[20] 68
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[21] 34
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[22] 21
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[23] 34
UK Albums (OCC)[24] 40
US Billboard 200[25] 110
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[26] 15
US Top Jazz Albums (Billboard)[27] 2

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Mongredien, Phil (9 December 2019). "Van Morrison: The Prophet Speaks review – the creativity keeps coming". The Observer. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
  2. ^ "The Prophet Speaks by Van Morrison on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
  3. ^ Althea Legaspi (2 October 2018). "Van Morrison Details New Album 'The Prophet Speaks'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
  4. ^ a b "The Prophet Speaks by Van Morrison Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
  5. ^ Thom Jurek. "The Prophet Speaks - Van Morrison". AllMusic. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
  6. ^ Horowitz, Hal (3 December 2018). "Van Morrison: The Prophet Speaks". American Songwriter. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
  7. ^ Michael Hann (7 December 2018). "Van Morrison: The Prophet Speaks review – laid-back, old-school R&B". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
  8. ^ Elisa Bray (6 December 2018). "Van Morrison review, The Prophet Speaks: Singer-songwriter sounds like he's having a blast on this satisfying album". The Independent. Archived from the original on 18 June 2022. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
  9. ^ Phil Mongredien (9 December 2018). "Van Morrison: The Prophet Speaks review – the creativity keeps coming". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
  10. ^ Johnson, Ellen (6 December 2018). "Van Morrison: The Prophet Speaks Review". Paste. Archived from the original on 20 June 2019. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
  11. ^ Jonathan Bernstein (7 December 2018). "Review: Van Morrison's 'The Prophet Speaks' Mixes Standards and Fresh Originals". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
  12. ^ Bernstein, Jonathan (7 December 2018). "Review: Van Morrison's 'The Prophet Speaks' Mixes Standards and Fresh Originals". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
  13. ^ Sweeney, Eamon (7 December 2018). "Van Morrison: The Prophet Speaks review – A master in his comfort zone". The Irish Times. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
  14. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Van Morrison – The Prophet Speaks". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 October 2019.
  15. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Van Morrison – The Prophet Speaks" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 October 2019.
  16. ^ "Ultratop.be – Van Morrison – The Prophet Speaks" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 October 2019.
  17. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Van Morrison – The Prophet Speaks" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 October 2019.
  18. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Van Morrison – The Prophet Speaks" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
  19. ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Van Morrison". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 October 2019.
  20. ^ "Italiancharts.com – Van Morrison – The Prophet Speaks". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 October 2019.
  21. ^ "Charts.nz – Van Morrison – The Prophet Speaks". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 October 2019.
  22. ^ "Spanishcharts.com – Van Morrison – The Prophet Speaks". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 October 2019.
  23. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Van Morrison – The Prophet Speaks". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 October 2019.
  24. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 22 October 2019.
  25. ^ "Van Morrison Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
  26. ^ "Van Morrison Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
  27. ^ "Van Morrison Chart History (Top Jazz Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
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