Born to Sing: No Plan B | ||||
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Studio album by Van Morrison | ||||
Released | 2 October 2012 | |||
Recorded | Belfast, Northern Ireland | |||
Genre | jazz, blues, pop, rock, R&B | |||
Length | 59:54 | |||
Label | Blue Note Records | |||
Producer | Van Morrison | |||
Van Morrison chronology | ||||
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Professional ratings | |
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Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
Allmusic | |
Belfast Telegraph | |
The Guardian | |
The Independent | |
The Irish Times | |
Jazzwise | |
musicOMH | |
The Observer | |
Rolling Stone | |
Uncut |
Born to Sing: No Plan B is the 34th studio album recorded by Northern Irish singer/songwriter Van Morrison. It was released on 2 October 2012 on Blue Note Records. Produced by Van Morrison, it marked his first studio album of original songs since 2008's Keep It Simple.
The album was well received by critics with most reviewers giving it four out of five stars, including Allmusic and Rolling Stone. It debuted at No. 10 on the Billboard 200, and has sold 132,000 copies in the US as of March 2015.
It was also Morrison's first album since the merger of EMI and Universal Music Group, which consolidated ownership of all his albums from 1984 onward.
Recorded in his hometown of Belfast, the album was described as containing ten new original songs although "Close Enough for Jazz" had featured as an instrumental on his 1993 release Too Long In Exile. The album was recorded live at the studio and features a six piece band of musicians, with Morrison on vocals, piano, guitar and alto-saxophone.
One of the album's themes and some of the songs reflect on the current worldwide financial crisis. Morrison has spoken out that he felt the need to comment on what he perceives as "the worldwide preoccupation with money, materialism, income equality, and the greed that has poisoned society" while further remarking: "I’m not proselytizing, it’s not some kind of manifesto. Songs are just ideas, concepts, and you just put the mic there and go."
Single "Open the Door (To Your Heart)" was released by EMI on 24 September 2012. It featured as the Record of the Week on BBC Radio 2 during the week commencing 25 August 2012.
The Daily Nebraskan described the song as beginning "the album with a jaunty rhythm of bass, oscillating tones of an organ and an electric guitar accentuating the off-beats. The tempo is much slower but for those fans more intimately familiar with Morrison’s catalog of songs, it feels oddly similar to “Wild Night,” which appeared on his 1971 album “Tupelo Honey.” Casting off the wildness of youth, this easy-paced speed more fully exposes the intricate dialog between the instruments; not only on this song but throughout the album."