Another 18 monthes, another very solid effort from the old jelly roll.

It's easy sometimes to take Van Morrison's impeccable professionalism for granted. Yet year in and year out, he continues to produce endearing records with style, grace and occasional verve. But its his inimitable baritone that embraces the listener with the warmth of a hug from an old friend, which is what it is.

I note that most people grow tired of his dour outlook on the music business, but I've always found his observational material quite forthright and often witty. Imagine still being dogged after all these years with the constant demand to assume his media-created role as Irish mystic or oracle, just because he recalled Yeats or Beckett with his poetic adventures on Astral Weeks. Its got to get tedious for him after awhile, and he has always steadfastly refused to play the games of others. Thus his perspective of such issues is as wry as Roger Waters or David Byrne, among others. The title track, "Fame", "Goldfish Bowl" and "Too Many Mythes" should be taken in this vein. In fact, on "Goldfish Bowl" he seems to reject the TV lifestyle of Ozzy Osbourne more than himself.

The jump blues of "Whining Boy Moan" and "Stop Drinking" are infectious, whether it be the fat brass or the rockabilly guitar. But its Van's enthusiasm that carries these numbers.

His vocal phrasing proves once again why his voice is a musical instrument, particularly towards the end on the "Meaning of Loneliness", and to great effect with the melody of "Get On With the Show".

My favorite moment occurs on "Little Village", which is one of those numbers that Van often comes up with that separates himself from his contemporaries. When he sings "Way up on the mountain, with you by my side" it recalls those intimate moments that he conjures up on songs like "Ancient Highway", where the "beams from the cars on the overpass shine, just like diamonds in the night"; or on "Take Me Back" when he wistfully describes the "big boats go sailing by, by, by..."

We all buy Van Morrison records to hear our guy have Van Morrison moments. This record has its share, which is why his fans should own it.

The Man has a Golden Voice. Is there another singer over 55 who sounds this ebullient? If compared with other singer/songwriters I admire, like Bob Dylan and Tom Waits, Van shows hardly any wear from his Inarticulate days. And that was 20-some years ago.

But let's not dwell on the past. Some reviewers argue he complains too much in his lyrics about fame. Well, I don't necessarily see him talking about himself. The whole music industry, by peddling PERSONA instead of music, is the culprit. That fact that Van isn't as big as other "celebrities" just proves the point. Why are all those other shells on the cover of Rolling Stone? What's wrong with this picture?

Hearing this album through headphones-- a new-found joy for me-- I don't care if Van sings the alphabet, his voice is spine-tingling. And that chuckle in the title song, a slip of some kind, just shows that others take Van more seriously than he ever would.

Rave On!

First, let's get the negative outta the way: not even Van Morrison can live up to his reputation as one of music's most justly celebrated artists. I, for one, don't hold his past triumphs against him when measuring his current artistry.

That said, this is a great return to form for His Vanness. Yes, he has achieved almost diety status amongst the faithful. And they should be more than pleased with this CD. It far surpasses Mr. Morrison's past several releases in multiple ways -- performance, songwriting, inspiration, production.

Three tracks specifically, "Meaning Of Loneliness," "Once In A Blue Moon," and "Little Village" are genuine Van Morrison classics-to-be. The rest of the CD is consistently very, very good. I wish I could have awarded it 4-1/2 stars here.

There are only a few artists I continue to really care about, and Mr. Morrison ranks at the top. When a CD like this arrives, I remember why I continue to have faith and love for the music.

When Down the Road was issued, I opined that it was Van Morrison's best recording since Too Long In Exile. Then along comes What's Wrong With This Picture and I have to go way back beyond "Exile", perhaps to Poetic Champions Compose, to find its equal. When I popped this CD in for the first time, I was extremely pleased, when I heard it several times again, I was floored by the continuing high level expression of Van's muse.
Yes, the CD does contain several self-referential songs on which Morrison appears to complain about the inconvenient aspects of fame, but they are excellent songs and are not musically redundant. But it also contains some of the most restrained, beautiful and soulful music of Van Morrison's career.
Sadly, Van Morrison gets almost no airplay on corporate franchise radio but fortunately has developed a huge fan base that will continue to buy his music for as long as he chooses to record. If you are hesitating as to whether or not you will add this CD to your collection, I strongly urge you to get it today.
There is not a weak song on the disc and you will find as I did that there is nothing wrong at all with THIS picture.

Van Morrison is prolific. He keeps turning out gems, sometimes blues, rock, folk, spiritual, worldly, joyful, sad, disgusted, elated, in love, out of love, sane & crazy; and now we have jazz! The title track opens with a string arrangement that harkens back to Etta James and builds with Keith Donald's clarinet as Van sets a soft soothing groove, "I'm not that person anymore... I left it all behind." My favorite track is the bubbly "Whinin Boy Moan" with a 50s boogie woogie beat as Van takes off on vocals improvising with a vocal freedom that is gloriously fluid, punctuated by Van's & Martin Winning's saxes blazing full tilt. This is classic Van. "Evening in June" boasts a gorgeous melody with a breezy feel taking us to a "sleepy lagoon." "You can even be lonely standing in your own backyard," Van sings on the slow slinky "Meaning of Loneliness," another blockbuster track. Van sets our toe to tapping with Lightnin' Hopkins' "Stop Drinking." "Goldfish Bowl" smokes a slow groove on a music biz song about the fallacies of fame. Another Morrison classic is "Once In A Blue Moon" celebrating the joys of falling in love, complete with a tango-flavored beat. Van smokes a slow smoldering groove on the traditional "Saint James Infirmary." (Jeremy Wallace did an excellent version of this on his little-known, but excellent, CD "My Lucky Day.") The CD concludes with another sterling track, "Get On With the Show," where Richard Dunn's organ gives a soulful groove. Van's set is amazingly strong, best of the year quality. He obviously had great fun; and so do we! Enjoy!