Van Morrison and Joey DeFrancesco - You're Driving Me Crazy (SONY LEGACY April 27, 2018)

Van Morrison Joins Forces with Joey DeFrancesco on ‘You’re Driving Me Crazy,’ a New Studio Album Available Friday, April 27

Morrison's 39th Studio Collection Showcases Electrifying Musical Collaborations, Fresh Interpretations of Blues/Jazz Standards and Deep Cuts from Van's Songbook. Legacy Recordings, a division of Sony Music Entertainment, will release Van Morrison's new 39th studio album, You're Driving Me Crazy, a musical collaboration with Hammond organ virtuoso and trumpet master Joey DeFrancesco, on Friday, April 27.

The successor to Versatile, Van's chart-topping jazz album from 2017, You're Driving Me Crazy will be available in 1CD/2LP physical configurations. A limited edition 7" single--featuring Van Morrison's "Close Enough For Jazz" b/w Morrison's stunning rendition of Guitar Slim's "The Things I Used To Do"--will be available for Record Store Day 2018 (celebrated at independent record stores nationwide on Saturday, April 21).

A new milestone in Van Morrison's ever-expanding catalog of essential recordings, You're Driving Me Crazy finds the iconic Irish singer-songwriter-performer exploring a variety of jazz and blues standards and classics ("Miss Otis Regrets," "The Things I Used to Do," "Every Day I Have the Blues") alongside fresh interpretations of songs from Van's own catalog ("Have I Told You Lately," "The Way Young Lovers Do," "Magic Time").

You're Driving Me Crazy finds Morrison collaborating in the studio with DeFrancesco and his band--including Dan Wilson (guitar), Michael Ode (drums) and Troy Roberts (tenor saxophone). DeFrancesco, who signed his first deal with Columbia Records at the age of 16, has performed with Miles Davis, John McLaughlin, Grover Washington, Jr. and many more while leading his own band, and is responsible for bringing the classic Hammond organ sound back to the world of jazz in the late 1980s.

The release of You're Driving Me Crazy caps more than a year of non-stop activity for Van Morrison, who released his 37th and 38th studio albums (Roll with the Punches and Versatile) in quick succession in the fall and winter of 2017. Roll With The Punches became his 13th album to reach the Top 10 of the U.K. charts, while Versatile topped Billboard's jazz chart.

The world of jazz has provided a vital ongoing influence on the music of Van Morrison, whose acclaimed 1968 studio masterpiece, Astral Weeks, showcased jazz musicians Connie Kay, Jay Berliner, and Richard Davis. Inspired by the spontaneity, soul and sound of jazz, Morrison has performed on stage and/or in the studio with a variety of jazz and blues musicians including John Lee Hooker, Ray Charles, Mose Allison, Bobby Bland, Solomon Burke, Jeff Beck, Georgie Fame, Robbie Robertson, Freddie Hubbard, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Maceo Parker, Candy Dulfer and others.

Joey DeFrancesco is a prolific American jazz organist, trumpeter, and vocalist and Grammy-nominee who signed his first record deal (with Columbia Records) at the age of 16 and has gone on to release more than 30 albums. He has performed on stage and in the studio with a wide variety of artists including Miles Davis, Jimmy Smith, Ray Charles, Bette Midler, David Sanborn, Arturo Sandoval, Larry Coryell, Frank Wess, John McLaughlin, Danny Gatton, Elvin Jones, and many more. DeFrancesco is a nine-time winner of the Down Beat Critics Poll (organ) and has won the Down Beat Readers Poll every year since 2005. He has won a number of JazzTimes Awards and is an inaugural member of the Hammond Hall of Fame.

You're Driving Me Crazy Features:

1. Miss Otis Regrets (Cole Porter)

2. Hold It Right There (Terry, Grey, Vinson)

3. All Saints Day (Van Morrison) 

4. The Way Young Lovers Do (Van Morrison)

5. The Things I Used To Do (Eddie Jones)

6. Travellin' Light (John Mercer, James Mundy, James Young)

7. Close Enough For Jazz (Van Morrison)

8. Goldfish Bowl (Van Morrison)

9. Evening Shadows (Van Morrison / Acker Bilk)

10. Magic Time (Van Morrison)

11. You're Driving Me Crazy (Walter Donaldson)

12. Every Day I Have The Blues (Peter Chatman)

13. Have I Told You Lately (Van Morrison)

14. Sticks and Stones (Titus Turner)

15. Celtic Swing (Van Morrison)

Stream the 'You're Driving Me Crazy' title track or pre-order the album

Van Morrison - Versatile (2017)

Written By Hal Horowitz // www.americansongwriter.com

No one would accuse the prolific Van Morrison of being stingy with his recorded output, but this, his 38th album, comes just over two months after his previous release.

Granted both are dominated by covers — September 2017’s Roll With The Punches tackles blues and soul classics, Versatile from November of the same year revisits jazz and vocal standards — but they also include a handful of newly penned originals. And even if he’s not singing with the unbridled passion of his younger years, evident on 1973’s career highpoint It’s Too Late To Stop Now tour recordings, neither is he phoning it in.

Here, he mixes swinging versions of George and Ira Gershwin’s “A Foggy Day” and Cole Porter’s “I Get A Kick Out Of You” with more contemplative, but no less inspired readings of “I Left My Heart In San Francisco” and a bluesy “Making’ Whoopee.” While nothing will make you forget performances of these chestnuts from crooners that made them famous (Sinatra, Tony Bennett and Nat King Cole), it’s clear Morrison isn’t coasting just to grab some late-career cash from his aging fan base, likely the only ones willing to spring for this collection composed predominantly of Rat Pack-era standards. Perhaps he could have dug a little deeper instead of adding yet another version of the Righteous Brothers’ “Unchained Melody” to the existing boatload of versions that already exist, but Morrison commits himself to the tune as if he’s just discovering it, maintaining the structure while scatting around lyrics with reverence and reserve.

Better still are the six new tunes Morrison penned for this set. The easy jazz of “I Forgot That Love Existed,” the spirited kick of “Only A Dream” and the finger popping sashay of “Take it Easy Baby” may not be new standards but they aren’t lame imitations either. Van and his horn-propelled small combo capture a sure sense of sassy energy that pushes even the most laid back of these performances into compelling, if not exactly edgy territory.

This is worlds away from Rod Stewart’s often overblown, undercooked and somewhat schlocky explorations into similar material. Morrison has always been influenced by this style of music and his interpretations maintain the vitality and effervescent qualities that make them withstand decades of social, and musical, changes.  Versatile may ultimately be a minor addition to the Irish icon’s swollen catalog, yet it’s another example of Van Morrison’s inimitable flair as an interpreter and arranger. It’s hard to imagine spending over an hour with these 16 tunes and not coming away with an appreciative grin and an acknowledgement of the singer’s timeless talents.