Van Morrison’s New Album Set To Drop In September

After four years of repurposing and re-releasing previous hits, music legend Van Morrison is set to release a new album this fall, reports Rolling Stone. The fall album, titled Keep Me Singing, will include 12 brand new originals and one cover of Morrison’s “Share Your Love With Me,” a song which gained widespread popularity through covers by Aretha Franklin and Kenny Rogers.

The new album, to be released on September 30, is Morrison’s follow-up to his 2015 album Duets: Re-Working the Catalogue, which reworked and re-released songs from previous albums. In addition to reworking his previous songs, Morrison has also digitally reissued many of his previous albums. The last time he released an album of new music was four years ago in 2012 when he issued Born to Sing: No Plan B.

To support the release of this new album, the eclectic singer will be touring the United States briefly in the fall for a total of six shows. One show will take place in Queens, New York, while the other five will be held in California. Keep Me Singing will be Van Morrison’s 36th studio album.

Aside from the track list, few details have been released about Morrison’s new album. A press release obtained by the Wall Street Journal provides a few tidbits about what fans can expect from Keep Me Singing. The singer collaborated with a number of artists, including Don Black for the song “Every Time I See a River.” The press release also disclosed that the final track on the new album, “Caledonia Swing,” is an instrumental that includes saxophone and piano. In addition to singing, Morrison played the role of producer on his new album.

Over the last few years, Morrison has certainly stayed busy. In addition to retooling old songs, he also released an extended version of “It’s Never Too Late To Stop Now…Vol.1,” his live album released in 1974. Earlier this year, he released a version with additional volumes two, three, and four, which treated fans to unreleased performances from Morrison’s tour in 1973. Despite all of this work, fans and entertainment media speculated about whether he would soon retire.

The 70-year-old singer has certainly enjoyed a tremendous career with memorable hits like “Brown-Eyed Girl” and “Crazy Love,” so if he did decide to retire, it would hardly be for lack of a career. Nevertheless, Morrison seems to be showing the world that he has no intention of calling it quits on his music career.

Earlier this year, BBC News reported that the Prince of Wales knighted Morrison at Buckingham Palace for his contribution to music, effectively turning Mr. Van Morrison into Sir Van Morrison. The knighthood was also bestowed upon Morrison for his contribution to the tourism industry in Northern Ireland, where he was born. The celebrated singer got his start in Belfast covering hits in the 50s and 60s and playing a number of different instruments. He was exposed to several music genres, and these eclectic influences are evident in his musical style, which includes elements of rock, jazz, and R&B.

Morrison has received numerous awards and accolades over the course of his music career and played at a wide variety of venues, including Royal Albert Hall in London and the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, but he expressed a special appreciation for receiving his knighthood.

“For 53 years I’ve been in the business – that’s not bad for a blue-eyed soul singer from east Belfast,” he said, reflecting on his long career.

Prince Charles inquired into Morrison’s future plans while giving the singer his award, asking whether he was still writing and if Morrison planned to retire anytime soon.

Morrison says he told the Prince of Wales, “No, I’m not, I’m going to keep it going while I can.”

[Photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Images]