Born to Sing: No Plan B

( 1 )

Editorial Reviews

All Music Guide - Thom Jurek
Born to Sing: No Plan B is Van Morrison's first studio offering in four years and his second for Blue Note. It is the longest span of studio silence in his career. Uncharacteristically, he recorded the set in his hometown of Belfast with a crack sextet that includes a three-piece horn section with an alto saxophone. Trombonist Alistair White also features prominently; his warm timbres, muted colors, and delightful solos are centerpieces in many songs. Born to Sing: No Plan B is more jazz-centric, but not at the expense of his trademark Celtic swing, blues, and soul. Morrison's singing is unfettered, relaxed, and unguarded. His charts are simultaneously more sophisticated and...
See more details below
CD
$13.73
BN.com price
(Save 1%)$13.99 List Price
Pick Up In Store

Pick Up In Store

Reserve and pick up in 60 minutes at your local store

Other sellers (CD)
  • All (6) from $10.76   
  • New (6) from $10.76   

More About This Product

Editorial Reviews

All Music Guide - Thom Jurek
Born to Sing: No Plan B is Van Morrison's first studio offering in four years and his second for Blue Note. It is the longest span of studio silence in his career. Uncharacteristically, he recorded the set in his hometown of Belfast with a crack sextet that includes a three-piece horn section with an alto saxophone. Trombonist Alistair White also features prominently; his warm timbres, muted colors, and delightful solos are centerpieces in many songs. Born to Sing: No Plan B is more jazz-centric, but not at the expense of his trademark Celtic swing, blues, and soul. Morrison's singing is unfettered, relaxed, and unguarded. His charts are simultaneously more sophisticated and organic. "Open the Door (To Your Heart)" opens with a souled-out guitar atop a laid-back B-3 and Memphis-styled bassline. The horns groove underneath Morrison's vocal, which is underscored by piano vamps. Lyrically, he states one of the album's primary themes: the real cost of materialism and greed. The soul-drenched "End of the Rainbow" and the old-school R&B set closer, "Educating Archie," also address the theme directly and tastefully. But it's "If in Money We Trust" -- the set's finest moment -- where he gets down inside it and lays out his truth with some of the finest low-end singing of his career in a brooding jazz-blues with meaty piano, canny interwoven dialogue between the horns, and taut bass and hand percussion that bubble in the pocket. That theme aside, this isn't a political record; it's not preachy, angry, or even disillusioned. It's Morrison merely laying down his own analytic reportage from the headlines. The title cut is a strolling R&B arrangement that certainly evokes those he heard from bar bands as a kid in Belfast. In it one can hear everyone from Fats Domino to Belfast's Bluebeats Show Band in the arrangement -- check the muted trombone break answered by clarinet. The breezy, ironic "Goin Down to Monte Carlo" bemusedly contains John Paul Sartre's infamous "Hell is other people." The tune suggests that the most vapid place on earth is perhaps the best place to "get some peace." It contains an upright bass solo, a gorgeous muted trumpet break, and fine, laid-back scat singing from Morrison. Likewise, "Close Enough for Jazz" (an older instrumental with lyrics) is a perfect meld of swinging R&B and post-swing jazz. "Mystic from the East" and "Retreat and View" are spiritual in nature; they connect directly to a constant theme in Morrison's oeuvre. The darker side of spirituality is evoked in "Pagan Heart," with Morrison paying tribute to John Lee Hooker via snarling electric guitar playing, as well as Robert Johnson in the lyric. Morrison sounds fully engaged, revitalized, even ambitious. On Born to Sing: No Plan B he's compiled the various elements of his musical oeuvre and assembled them into a seamless, glorious whole.
Read More Show Less

Product Details

  • Release Date: 10/2/2012
  • Label: Blue Note Records
  • EAN: 5099962349123
  • Catalog Number: 23491
  • Sales rank: 461

Album Credits

Performance Credits
Van Morrison Primary Artist, Piano, Electric Guitar, Alto Saxophone, Vocals
Paul Moore Bass
Paul Moran Piano, Trumpet, Keyboards, Hammond Organ
Dave Keary Acoustic Guitar, Guitar, Slide Guitar
Chris White Clarinet, Tenor Saxophone
Alistair White Trombone
Jeff Lardner Percussion, Drums
Technical Credits
Alan Licht Liner Notes
Van Morrison Composer, Producer
Enda Walsh Engineer
Gavin Martin Liner Notes
Solly Lipsitz Liner Notes
Tim Young Mastering
Paddy Johnston Personal Assistant
John Rogers Management
Read More Show Less

Customer Reviews

Average Rating 5
( 1 )
Rating Distribution

5 Star

(1)

4 Star

(0)

3 Star

(0)

2 Star

(0)

1 Star

(0)

Your Rating:

Review Guidelines
Add Recommendations
Your Name: Create a Pen Name or

Barnes & Noble.com Review Rules

Our reader reviews allow you to share your comments on titles you liked, or didn't, with others. By submitting an online review, you are representing to Barnes & Noble.com that all information contained in your review is original and accurate in all respects, and that the submission of such content by you and the posting of such content by Barnes & Noble.com does not and will not violate the rights of any third party. Please follow the rules below to help ensure that your review can be posted.

Reviews by Our Customers Under the Age of 13

We highly value and respect everyone's opinion concerning the titles we offer. However, we cannot allow persons under the age of 13 to have accounts at BN.com or to post customer reviews. Please see our Terms of Use for more details.

What to exclude from your review:

Please do not write about reviews, commentary, or information posted on the product page. If you see any errors in the information on the product page, please send us an email.

Reviews should not contain any of the following:

  • - HTML tags, profanity, obscenities, vulgarities, or comments that defame anyone
  • - Time-sensitive information such as tour dates, signings, lectures, etc.
  • - Single-word reviews. Other people will read your review to discover why you liked or didn't like the title. Be descriptive.
  • - Comments focusing on the author or that may ruin the ending for others
  • - Phone numbers, addresses, URLs
  • - Pricing and availability information or alternative ordering information
  • - Advertisements or commercial solicitation

Reminder:

  • - By submitting a review, you grant to Barnes & Noble.com and its sublicensees the royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable right and license to use the review in accordance with the Barnes & Noble.com Terms of Use.
  • - Barnes & Noble.com reserves the right not to post any review -- particularly those that do not follow the terms and conditions of these Rules. Barnes & Noble.com also reserves the right to remove any review at any time without notice.
  • - See Terms of Use for other conditions and disclaimers.
Search for Products You'd Like to Recommend

Recommend other products that relate to your review. Just search for them below and share!

Create a Pen Name

Your Pen Name is your unique identity on BN.com. It will appear on the reviews you write and other website activities. Your Pen Name cannot be edited, changed or deleted once submitted.

 
Your Pen Name can be any combination of alphanumeric characters (plus - and _), and must be at least two characters long.

Continue Anonymously
Sort by: Showing 1 Customer Review

  • Posted February 18, 2013

    Van Morrison has always been one of my favorites. As my musical

    Van Morrison has always been one of my favorites. As my musical tastes have changed and evolved, it almost seems as if this
    amazing singer has always followed suit. Great album!

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
Sort by: Showing 1 Customer Review