It was a cliché thing to do, I suppose, but I spent a lot of travel time in Ireland listening to Van Morrison and the Chieftains' 1988 IRISH HEARTBEAT CD and I was more impressed with it than ever (just because I was actually in Ireland?). This album may ultimately prove to be one of Van's five or six best. Not only does the concept of the him with Chieftains performing what is mainly a collection of folksy Irish covers succeed as well as one would think it should, but the choice of material seems so complete. The up-tempos--"Star of the County Down," "I'll Tell Me Ma," and "Marie's Wedding"--contain some of Van's most joyful moments. From these clear highs the listener can travel with them all the way down the years to the ache of "Carrickfergus" and "Ragland Road" and even drift off with Van in his ("She Moved Through the Fair," "My Lagan Love") moments of spontaneous meditation/abandon. (Set within the traditional Irish sounds here, these moments become something new--a different kind of depth added to the "previous, previous" flights on ASTRAL WEEKS, SAINT DOMINIC'S PREVIEW, and elsewhere.) And the title song/Morrison original (which has now been covered by the Burns Sisters) may itself become a folk standard.
Originally posted to SteveForbert.com in 2000.
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