Van Morrison continues his recent prolific output with an album which is a collection of blues songs and guest appearances. Morrison, of course, has written more classic songs under his own steam than most over the years, reaching back to the sixties his blues/R&B standard Brown Eyed Girl, into the seventies with atmospheric and progressive albums such as Astral Weeks, and forward with significant music released in every decade since.
Often, in the past few years, he’s returned to his sixties roots and the blues. For this album, he’s selected songs by blues luminaries such as Buddy Guy, John Lee Hooker, Fats Domino and BB King, alongside four originals, performed with guests Elvin Bishop, Taj Mahal and Buddy Guy.
While promoting the album, Morrison was interviewed by Harry Duncan on American radio KCSM. Duncan, a jazz/blues player himself, found Morrison’s passion for the blues intact. It was fascinating to hear them trading stories and nuggets of information (sometimes talking at cross-purposes, resulting in confusion about songs included – or not – on this album, and who has guested in Morrison’s live bands – or not.)
Morrison now has his own independent record label, Orangefield, the home of many of these recent releases. While it’s still getting established he retains contracts with Universal and Virgin. He said “other stuff” will appear on those labels soon, so his flurry of releases shows no sign of slowing down. Is it possible to have both quality and quantity, or does the regularity of releases reveal a tendency to churn out records because he can?
Well, no – and yes. Morrison has the greatest of respect for this material, and it shows. There’s nothing perfunctory here, and the arrangements and playing on these tracks are professional, topped by Morrison’s still excellent and distinctive vocals. This is a difficult issue in some ways. Mostly, these songs don’t need innovative new arrangements. They benefit from keeping it simple and traditional. If there’s an issue, it’s that this is a 78-minute album. Across that period, the risk is of insufficient variation of light and shade across the whole CD-length album.
Of Morrison’s own songs, Monte Carlo Man opens with some dirty guitar before settling into a chugging boogie. Loving Memories features Elvin Bishop on guitar and is steady, spirited and respectful of the genre. Social Climbing Scene is another chugging boogie, referencing his Belfast roots in the lyrics. The title track is an up-tempo celebration of the power of the blues; the bridge in question being metaphorical and not the songwriting term. Van doesn’t need to buy a song bridge from anyone else.
These are not the greatest songs he’s ever written but they are enjoyable and in keeping with the nature of the album, which matters. On some songs there’s an overuse of backing vocals to repeat the line that’s just been sung, but that’s another trait of the genre so it would be odd not to arrange the songs that way.
Elsewhere, the legendary blues player Taj Mahal duets on the Chuck Willis classic Betty and Dupree, and he adds some great harmonica to Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee’s Can’t Help Myself. Things clearly took off fully when Taj Mahal was in the studio, his vocals harmonising with Morrison’s joyously.
The album concludes with two songs featuring Buddy Guy. On I’m Ready by Willie Dixon and B.B. King’s Rock Me Baby, we again hear two masters of the genre enjoying bouncing musical ideas off each other, Guy’s guitar rumbling and then delivering a gritty, lyrical and concise solo.
In the interview, Morrison spoke of it “just making sense” for the guests to be on the album because they lived or happened to be in the Bay Area of California while he was recording. Pragmatic, yes, and there must be more to it than that. Perhaps that’s just how records get made these days, but Van has always been – er, let’s say grounded – in interviews.
What matters about albums such as Somebody Tried to Sell Me a Bridge is that they are still being made. The music is in the blood of these players, and we can hear it flowing.
TRACK LISTING
01. Kidney Stew Blues (3:45)
02. King for a Day Blues (3:46)
03. Snatch It Back and Hold It (3:58)
04. Deep Blue Sea (4:18)
05. Ain’t That a Shame (3:27)
06. Madame Butterfly Blues (5:46)
07. Can’t Help Myself (3:42)
08. Betty and Dupree (4:59)
09. Delia’s Gone (3:20)
10. On a Monday (3:21)
11. Monte Carlo Blues (2:54)
12. When It’s Love Time (2:58)
13. Loving Memories (4:31)
14. Play the Honky Tonks (3:50)
15. (Go to the) High Place in Your Mind (3:53)
16. Social Climbing Scene (3:43)
17. Somebody Tried to Sell Me a Bridge (4:01)
18. You’re the One (4:25)
19. I’m Ready (3:29)
20. Rock Me Baby (5:32)
Total Time – 79:38
MUSICIANS
Van Morrison – Vocals, Saxophone (1,2,14 & 15), Harmonica (3,4,11 & 19), Electric Guitar (8,13 & 15), Acoustic Guitar (16)
Mitch Woods – Piano (1–6,8,10,11,14,19 & 20)
John Allair – Hammond Organ (1–6,8,10,13,16–20), Piano (7,9 12–15 17 & 18), Vocals (15)
Anthony Paule – Guitar
David Hayes – Bass
Larry Vann – Drums (1,3–18)
Bobby Ruggiero – Percussion (1,3,6–18), Drums (2)
Jolene O’Hara – Background Vocals (1,3,9,11,13 & 14)
Dana Masters – Background Vocals (1 & 3)
Larry Batiste – Background Vocals (4–6,13,14,16–18)
Nona Brown – Background Vocals (4–6,13,14,16–18)
Elvin Bishop – Guitar (4,6,12–14,18)
Omega Rae Brooks – Vocals (4,6,16–18)
Taj Mahal – Harmonica (7–10), Vocals (7,8 & 10), Banjo (10)
Crawford Bell – Background Vocals (9 & 11)
Buddy Guy – Guitar, Vocals (19 & 20)
Tom Hambridge – Drums (19 & 20)
Ben McAuley – Tambourine (18)
ADDITIONAL INFO
Record Label: Orangefield
Country of Origin: UK
Date of Release: 23rd January 2026
LINKS
Van Morrison – Website | Facebook | YouTube | X | Instagram
