Genre: Album
Grade: A-
Notable People: Van the Man and his Cracker Jack Band, Produced by: Himself
Title: What’s It Gonna Take?
Review: For my recent BIG Birthday, I got this new Van issue-along with tix to see him in Connecticut labor day weekend, on a rare US tour. Though I have very mixed feelings about his politics and his persona, I have no such reservations about Van the Man’s music. His 43rd (Holy Buckets!) studio album, features 14 new compositions that collectively reflect his indefatigable drive to record and perform live in front of audiences. The album was produced by Morrison and is preceded by the single “Pretending,” a gorgeous, restless, soul song. Somewhat of a departure from his most recent releases that were focused more on Jazzy numbers, this one is master lesson on blue-eyed soul and R&B. Van takes up the guitar mostly in lieu of his beloved sax and surrounds himself with a very talented groove-laden backup band and heavenly voices. If you’ve ever been a fan or just like Brown Eyed Girl, this is a good one.