Versatile

Released in late 2017, Versatile is the 38th studio album by Van Morrison and serves as a companion piece to its predecessor, Roll with the Punches. While that record focused on blues and R&B, Versatile finds Morrison diving headlong into the Great American Songbook and the world of vocal jazz. Recorded with a crack team of jazz musicians, the album features six new Morrison originals alongside ten meticulously chosen standards. Critics, particularly at AllMusic, noted the album's 'relaxed charm' and praised Morrison's vocal flexibility, which remained sharp despite his long career. The record is significant for how it recontextualizes Morrison's own work - such as the jazz-reworking of 'I Forgot That Love Existed' - within the tradition of swing and lounge pop. It stands as a testament to his 'versatility' (as the title suggests), proving his ability to inhabit the role of a traditional crooner without losing his signature improvisational edge.