Van Morrison What’s Wrong With This Picture? ( Blue Note ) Rating: NNNN Rating: NNNN
Anyone expecting Van Morrison to turn his debut disc for Blue Note into a small-combo jazz showcase for his saxophone-blowing skills will be relieved to know that What’s Wrong With This Picture? is a conventional Van Morrison recording – but a very good one. Apart from a few extended solos, there’s nothing here that could be confused with jazz. It’s the typical mix of blues, R&B, folk and gospel elements over which our boldly bellowing Celtic Soul Brother Number One waxes philosophical on the myth of fame interspersed with reveries of young love and strolls through leafy forests. Business as usual.
