Pay the Devil, an album-long foray into country music, shouldn't come as a surprise to Van Morrison fans. It's a logical extension of his love affair with American music. Certainly blues, R&B, soul, and jazz have been at the forefront, but one can go all the way back to the Bang years and find "Joe Harper Saturday Morning," or songs on Tupelo Honey that touch country. More recently, You Win Again, with Linda Gail Lewis, offered two Hank Williams tunes and "Crazy Arms." The Skiffle Sessions with Lonnie Donegan offered traditional Southern tunes including Jimmie Rodgers' "Mule Skinner Blues." Morrison's lyrics have also referenced country music blatantly. Pay the Devil comes from direct sources of inspiration: his father's skiffle band and Ray Charles' historic forays into country on the two volumes of Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music in 1962.
Like Charles, Morrison is a soul singer no matter what he sings and he digs into these tomes with fire and the uncommon sweetness of tone and limited timbre that Charles did. But Morrison re-creates these tunes in his own image too.
Pay the Devil is at the crossroads of country, blues, and soul. In his voice is the authority to bring them together. No matter how restless and inconsistent he can be because of his obsession with perfection, Morrison is capable of being inspired enough to let his muse guide him toward something approaching greatness. Pay the Devil is proof.
Tracklist:
1. There stands the glass (2:17)
2. Half as much (2:36)
3. Things have gone to pieces (3:10)
4. Big blue diamonds (2:56)
5. Playhouse (4:13)
6. Your cheatin' heart (2:32)
7. My bucket's got a hole in it (2:22)
8. Back street affair (2:48)
9. Pay the devil (3:02)
10. What am I living for (3:56)
11. This has got to stop (4:44)
12. Once a day (2:51)
13. More and more (2:46)
14. Till I gain control again (5:59)
Personnel:
Van Morrison (vocals, acoustic guitar)
Johnny Scott, Mick Green (guitar)
Paul Godden (steel guitar)
Bob Loveday (violin)
Cavin Wright, Fiachra Trench (strings)
Geraint Watkins (piano)
Ian Jennings (double bass)
Paul Riley (electric bass)
Bobby Irwin (drums).
Media Info:
Bitrate: 320 kbps
Channels: joint stereo
Samplerate: 44100
Encoder: LAME 3.99
MPEG-1 layer 3
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