Issue date: 5/2/08 Section: Features

"School of Hard Knocks" has a great lead guitar, extremely reminiscent of Mark Knopfler's later solo work, particularly his latest "Kill to Get Crimson." Van's lyrics aren't his best by any means, with, "I was educated by the school of hard knocks / Who's going to patronize me now?" However, his voice does come through clearly for most of the song, which is refreshing.

The album's title track, "Keep it Simple," is Van's statement of purpose for the album. He claims music has become too greedy and disappointing, and he wants to take his own music back to its glory days, when people sang for love of music. Regardless of personal opinion, it's difficult to overlook his point of view, seeing as he's been in the business for longer than many of us have been alive. This might be Van's way of explaining his lazy vocals: many recordings from the "golden age" were deficient in terms of sound quality, particularly compared to what recording equipment can do today. His lax voice may be hearkening back to those days, when one might have needed to listen closely to pick out the lyrics. Though I doubt it.

It's very admirable of Van Morrison to recall the days when folk music was such a popular form. I can't hold much against Van for having lackluster vocals. Indeed, many new bands today put no energy into vocals at all. It's just difficult to hear his voice go this way after having so much wonderful crooning from him in the past. The album is definitely worth a listen, at the least. The life-long Van fans will find this to be true to Van's style. But if you're looking to get interested, start with something earlier.

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