Whatever his malignant message may be on What’s It Gonna Take?, Van Morrison does sound on fire. His similarly ill-motivated Latest Record Project: Volume 1 (2021) feels like just a warm-up in retrospect. A sense of urgency permeates these tracks compared to other later work such as Hymns to the Silence (1991).
His voice the main weapon of attack, it pairs a haughty nonchalance with suppressed anger that perfectly encapsulates living through these frustrating times. “Dangerous” stands as Van Morrison's most vehement outing here, with a nagging violin perfectly complimenting his bitter ire over lively percussion. Another highlight forms “Money From America” where he spews his bile over a swinging rhythm & blues backing. The ease with which he lays down a gripping show track on “Nervous Breakdown” underlines his newfound fervor.
On the other hand he creates gripping pieces of drama on “Can’t Go On This Way” with a moving horn section and “Pretending”. Here the more tragic side of his voice comes to the fore.
The album cover may be obnoxious. And it may be ironic how Van Morrison whines that he couldn’t go on holiday that one time during this global public health crisis, when governments like the Netherlands or his own United Kingdom let the coronavirus rip from the start just like he wants them to. Yet his frustration feels palpable and could be applied instead to the feelings of disbelief about the tacit approval of those eugenic policies by the silent maskless majority. As such at times the album even feels liberating.
This protest music does feel lifted straight from the 1960’s with tracks like “What’s It Gonna Take?”, a time when Van Morrison penned one of his masterpieces Astral Weeks (1968). Such a feat of intense spirituality sorely lacks here, replaced by bitterness.
Rating: Approach With Caution (+)