Full spectrum "country", from the humorous ("Don't You Feel My Leg") to the heart-rending ("Till I Gain Control Again") to parody of country music heartache lists ("Things Have Gone to Pieces") to anger with a backbeat ("This Has Got To Stop") to Hank Williams ("Half as Much") to rockabilly ("My Bucket's Got a Hole in It"). Like a lot of Van's albums, this music gets in your head and grows with time. The voice-as-instrument sounds like blasts from a well-payed horn. And speaking of playing, one of the benefits of being a Van Morrison fan is the perfection he demands of his backing musicians. This excellent band has more of a Bob Wills "roots" country feel, with some killer fiddle. I usually play my CD's on random play in a 200 disk changer, but this one I play front to back frequently since I bought it. Probably too subtle in its musical merits for the average country fan.

It is Friday night April 21st, 2006 in my part of the world. Just after midnight on a star-filled night. I know it was star-filled because I was fortunate enough to witness Van Morrison live in concert at the Hollywood Bowl. Van was in peak form. His band consisted of the most astonishing musicians in music today. I wish every young musician within a ten billion mile radius could have been there. Van played guitar, harmonica, saxophone and sang with more soul than any performer this side of Aretha or Ray. He smoked. And he performed half the songs on this CD. And he smoked. Don't pay attention to the carping blah, blah, blah in many of the reviews below. Van is and always will be the Man. Along with Aretha and Dylan, he only gets better with time. I raise my glass to you, Mr. Morrison.

Van Morrison has been one of my favorites for nearly forty years as I have followed the highs and lows of his storied career. I can find something to like in almost anything he's done even when he departs far from his usual range of styles.
Several years ago, he took a detour into country and rockabilly with Linda Gail Lewis. In my opinion, that effort came up short. This time is different, it seems as though the second time's the charm. Though Van Morrison will likely never be the toast of Nashville, Pay the Devil rates much higher in listenability than his last country outing. The superb musicianship here more than makes up for any lack of country twang in Morrison's voice.
If you don't like country music, you probably won't like this CD even if you are a confirmed Van fan. On this CD, Van harks back to the country sounds of a half-century ago. No smarmy pop infusions here, the music is as authentic and sometimes as corny as he can possibly make it.
My favorites are Half As Much, My Bucket's Got A Hole In It, Back Street Affair, the title cut, What Am I Living For?, Once A Day, and More and More.
There are also a couple of songs I don't really care for. Things Have Gone To Pieces is beyond corny with its litany of complaints, large and small. Then, although it is amusing, Don't You Make Me High doesn't really fit the country mood. I heard it years ago by Maria Muldaur and I hear it more as a lounge song than a country one.
Is there any song that is quintessentially Van Morrison? Well, yes. Even though it is steeped in country instumentation, This Has Got To Stop has Morrison's stamp all over it.
So, if you are a Van Morrison fan who also happens to like a touch of country, then you will likely enjoy this CD. I like it, and although its not my favorite, there is enough here to give it a solid four star rating. Listen and hear what I mean!

Van has always considered himself a working-class musician, so to speak. Though his current wealth means he never needs to take the stage again, he nevertheless plays over 100 live dates a year, encompassing an astonishing variety of supporting musicians and musical styles. In that sense, his records are only half the story (if that). The real truth is that he plays music that's compelling to him, whatever the genre, and doesn't care what anyone else thinks.

People who "hate country music" often don't realize that they just hate "pop" country, the over-twanged, rock-ified, glammed-up junk of CMT. Van reminds us there's a very real, vital connection between C&W's roots and modern blues, jazz and rock; and moreover, that ANY genre's music is good if it communicates with the listener.

It's true there's not much "new" here, but there's no denying that the musical execution is superb. Van's recent U.S. shows revealed him in better spirits than any time in recent memory; he played over half the tracks on this disc during his sets, and enjoyed every minute. So will you.

This album is deceptive - on first hearing in a setting with lots of distractions, it actually sounded unremarkeable, as if the songs were done almost casually, one or 2 takes each. But as I listened again, I was stopped when I heared that familiar sharp, plangent, emphatic and superbly modulated voice reaching for real feeling in "What Am I Living For?" - "hey, he cares about this stuff!" I said to myself. At the end of that song someone (Van?) says "hey, that was worth it." Indeed it was! - great country soul singing of a not-normally-country tune. The next tune, a Van original, "This Has Got To Stop," knocked me out - uncompromising deeply felt lyrics, rolling beat, syncopated shouts - a real Van Morrison song, country style. Then the rest of the record came clear to me. There are some great renditions of songs that should sound completely hackneyed, a la Ray Charles' "Modern Sounds," which may well have been the starting place for this record. And - the crucial test - his Hank songs add to the vocabulary. Van doesn't give anything away to any country singer, or even Ray. He channels that feisty, angry, hurt, caring persona into some great country music - this said by a guy (me) who owns 20+ each of Hank Williams and George Jones records, 30+ Ralph Stanley/Stanley Bros. records, and everything Merle Haggard, ever did, etc.