Van Morrison
Magic Time
Release Date: May 17, 2005
Genre(s): Rock, Singer-Songwriter
Record label: Geffen
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Album Review: Magic Time by Van Morrison
Very Good, Based on 2 Critics
Based on rating 8/10
Magic Time is one of those rare, intermittent Van Morrison records that consciously offers a bird's eye view of everywhere he's been musically and weaves it all together into a heady brew. The last one was The Healing Game in 1997. He's made fine records since (Down the Road, Back on Top), but they've been focused on whatever Muse was pulling his coattails at the time.
Based on rating 3/5
It's 40 years since Van Morrison kicked off his recording career with Them, and Magic Time could hardly sound less like sweaty, shouty, mid-60s Van. With his 60th birthday a few months away, Belfast's most cantankerous son is in a mellow mood, looking back languidly over the blues and soul music he grew up on. Stranded is a moonlit, slow-waltzing opener, establishing the glow of nostalgia that hovers over many of the songs.