Healing Game

His voice sounds rich and confident, and the songs, heavy on horns and Hammond organ, confirm that Mr. Morrison does some of his finest work when Georgie Fame plies the keys and works on arranging the songs. He also seems to keep Mr. Morrison focused on the sound and grounded in the music, as evidenced in most of their other collaborations. I have to also call out Pee Wee Ellis for supplying some fine saxophone and the backing vocals of Brain Kennedy for offering a nice counterpoint to Mr. Morrison's lead vocal.

But, if, like me, you find that Mr. Morrison's forays into Mose Allison territory on some of his releases not all that satisfying, then you will welcome the density and smoldering fire he has summoned for this recording.

The blues & jazz that Van grew up with had made a resurgence in his '90s music, his 1993 album TOO LONG IN EXILE being the most obvious example. But where as that album was rather misguided & overlong, THE HEALING GAME remains close to that album's style, only shorter & less complex. Also, contrary to what most people have said, the use of background singers on the album actually enhances it, not hinders it. Van after all is one of the more soulful White singers in the business, so he can easily get up & sing next to the greats.

The opening "Rough God Goes Riding" would seem like another experiment into religious territory, but from what I read about it at the time, Van was commenting on the war in Bosnia & I can certainly see where he was going with this song. Right from the beginning, it's plain to see surrounding himself with crack R&B-jazz musicians has given Van a little shot in the arm. Proving that Van does have enough soul to stand next to the legends, "Fire In The Belly" contains one of his most electrifying & heartwrenching vocals in years, indicating maybe he was indeed feeling renewed artistically with this album. "This Weight" is another entry in Van's "why am I such a big star" category of songs. Granted, Van Morrison has always been rather modest about his career, thinking of music as more of a job & not a hobby. But whereas most artists writing about their objection to the fast life would seem hypocritcal, "This Weight" really does sound like it's coming from someone who'd just as soon give up doing the thing he loves if need be. "Waiting Game" seems a little underdeveloped from my ears, with a chorus that's not one of the strongest Van has ever created. But it's still listenable (hence the four-star rating of this album, which contains a few of these good-not-great songs). "Piper At The Gates Of Dawn" is a break from the blues & jazz sound with more of a folk experiment & could easily have found its way onto ASTRAL WEEKS (definitely a compliment).

"Burning Ground" is another one of the most soulful songs Van has done in a while (not up to the level of "Fire In The Belly", to be sure) & while the "rap" may seem a little odd, it's still a guaranteed smile on your face. "It Once Was My Life" & "Sometimes We Cry" sound almost identical with not a lot to distinguish them, but I guess that's more of a sequencing problem. "If You Love Me" is Van's take on a love song that's actually sincere & upbeat, not critical like most of his songs of this type are. It all closes out with the rousing title track, which once again shows negative reviews about the background singers are highly exaggerated. Brian Kennedy is one backing vocalist who deserves to be performing out front & one only wonders why no record labels are giving him a call. Van certainly knows talent when he sees it.

THE HEALING GAME may not rank high on Van Morrison's overall output, but of his 1990s work (rather patchy to begin with, but still an improvement over his 1980s music), it's certainly near the top. Of course, it's not without its snags, but the follow-up would definitely make up for it with its very appropriate title (BACK ON TOP). For a man at the start of his 50s, Van showed no signs of running out of steam (though he showed signs of coasting from time to time) & THE HEALING GAME helped indicate he was about to get back on the track again.