Blues covers will be no surprise to the modern Van Morrison listener. He failed to impress with Moving on Skiffle and improved only in small increments on Accentuate the Positive. What becomes clear with his third covers album in just as many years, Somebody Tried to Sell Me a Bridge, is his love of the blues genre. This is an artist, as Bob Dylan and Paul McCartney had done the last two decades, paying tribute to their influences. That is not, always, a positive. Crucial to the appeal of a legend covering fellow legends is there is more than the link of influence. Somebody Tried to Sell Me a Bridge is at least more convincing of that than the previous two attempts, its twenty-strong song selection a remarkable display of Morrison’s confidence not just in his voice, but in the work of those who inspired him remaining relevant. We can only hope Morrison hasn’t, literally, bought a bridge, and is paying the purchase off with those plain-sailing smooth jazz and blues numbers.
Catch yourself in the right mood, and Somebody Tried to Sell Me a Bridge is a delightful listen. Groovy, inspired, and light instrumental work which plays around with the tone of the genre and the changing vocal range Morrison has discovered. He works with that slower drawl of a voice, a soulful, skilled presence across this album, his best blues covers to date. A low bar to saunter over, but all the same a bar is set. Light instrumental flourishes for Kidney Stew Blues are reminiscent of Dylan’s Triplicate, which relied on not the familiarity of the original work, but on the person covering it. Morrison relies on this well enough here, and it makes for some delightful moments of sincere blues work. Listeners must be reliant on Morrison and the swagger he brings to these blues numbers, the instrumentals and backing vocalists feature in strong moments, but there’s a safety to the blues style they provide.
Much of it blurs into one another, the instrumental similarity broken up on occasion with a guitar solo, as is the case for Snatch it Back and Hold It. Deep Blue Sea is a staggering early moment, too, and it’s those little flickers of life that keep Somebody Tried to Sell Me a Bridge roaring on. Morrison will win you over, at some point. It may take three albums of blues numbers, but he does get there in the end. Madame Butterfly Blues is outstanding, as is the follow-up instrumental work on Can’t Help Myself. Truly inspired moments from Morrison and the instrumental collective there, and more than a few songs of this twenty-track stretch showcase the creative overlap, a flowing thrill at its best. Later moments like Play the Honky Tonks offer a similar sound to those previous blues pieces from Morrison’s discography, but a much-improved atmosphere prevails.
Sentimentality runs through Somebody Tried to Sell Me a Bridge. It’s the lead reason for Morrison to tackle this project, and his ear for a new arrangement on classic tracks isn’t quite there, but his love for the genre and still strong voice is enough. It’s most effective on the slower tracks, but occasionally there’s an up-tempo thrill to be had with Somebody Tried to Sell Me a Bridge. Blues standards delivered with the delicacy expected, and a few moments of real triumph. It’s quite unlike the preceding two albums, but part of that is in the song selection. Social Climbing Scene is nothing short of marvellous – the highlight of the album, thanks to its Belfast mentions and the roots Morrison can share with the original track – and from there the album really takes more control of its flow. A little too late to be overwhelming, but Somebody Tried to Sell Me a Bridge has a charm Morrison captured on last year’s Remembering Now.
