Moving On Skiffle
2023 studio album by Van Morrison
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Moving On Skiffle is the 44th studio album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison, released on 10 March 2023 by Exile Productions through Virgin Music (successor of Caroline Distribution). The album is Van Morrison's second in the Skiffle genre after his 2000 live album The Skiffle Sessions – Live in Belfast 1998, which saw Morrison collaborate with Lonnie Donegan and Chris Barber. Another skiffle pioneer, Chas McDevitt, was present during the recording sessions for Moving On Skiffle.[1]
| Moving On Skiffle | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 10 March 2023 | |||
| Studios | Real World (Box, UK) | |||
| Genres | ||||
| Length | 93:56 | |||
| Labels |
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| Producer | Van Morrison | |||
| Van Morrison chronology | ||||
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Critical reception
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 74/100[2] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [3] |
| Financial Times | [4] |
| The Irish Times | [5] |
| Uncut | [1] |
According to the review aggregator Metacritic, Moving On Skiffle received "generally favorable reviews" based on a weighted average score of 74 out of 100 from 7 critic scores.[2] AllMusic found Moving On Skiffle "relaxed and unhurried" and an "easy record to enjoy."[3] The Financial Times welcomed Morrison's return to the music of his youth (in contrast to the "pub-bore lectures" of his previous two albums) and found that "the music has a richer quality than the spindly tenacity of 1950s skiffle."[4] Uncut likewise welcomed Morrison's "back to basics" approach following "two exhausting albums of political ranting", finding the album "richer and more sophisticated" than The Skiffle Sessions but with "a lightness of touch that recalls Bruce Springsteen's delightful 2006 album of Pete Seeger reinterpretations, We Shall Overcome."[1] The Irish Times praised Dave Keary's guitar and Morrison's voice, concluding "It's good to hear him happy."[5]
Track listing
All songs traditional except as indicated.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Freight Train" | Elizabeth Cotten | 3:27 |
| 2. | "Careless Love" | 5:38 | |
| 3. | "Sail Away Ladies" | 3:18 | |
| 4. | "Streamline Train" | Red Nelson | 4:03 |
| 5. | "Take This Hammer" | 4:38 | |
| 6. | "No Other Baby" | Dickie Bishop, Bob Watson | 4:30 |
| 7. | "Gypsy Davy" | Woody Guthrie | 4:18 |
| 8. | "This Loving Light of Mine" | 5:11 | |
| 9. | "In the Evening When the Sun Goes Down" | 4:25 | |
| 10. | "Yonder Comes a Sucker" | Jim Reeves | 3:11 |
| 11. | "Travelin' Blues" | Jimmie Rodgers, Shelly Lee Alley | 3:43 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12. | "Gov Don't Allow" (version of "Mama Don't Allow" with new lyrics by Van Morrison) | traditional, Van Morrison (lyrics) | 4:10 |
| 13. | "Come On In" | 3:39 | |
| 14. | "Streamlined Cannonball" | Roy Acuff | 3:16 |
| 15. | "Greenback Dollar" | 3:43 | |
| 16. | "Oh Lonesome Me" | Don Gibson | 3:25 |
| 17. | "I Wish I Was an Apple On a Tree" | 3:14 | |
| 18. | "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" | Hank Williams | 3:04 |
| 19. | "I'm Movin' On" | Hank Snow | 2:58 |
| 20. | "Cold Cold Heart" | Hank Williams | 3:26 |
| 21. | "Worried Man Blues" | 4:38 | |
| 22. | "Cotton Fields" | Lead Belly | 3:07 |
| 23. | "Green Rocky Road" | 9:02 |
Personnel
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Performance
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Production
Other personnel
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Charts
| Chart (2023) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[6] | 5 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[7] | 7 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[8] | 69 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[9] | 19 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[10] | 11 |
| Irish Albums (IRMA)[11] | 32 |
| Portuguese Albums (AFP)[12] | 20 |
| Scottish Albums (Official Charts)[13] | 5 |
| Spanish Albums (Promusicae)[14] | 13 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[15] | 18 |
| UK Albums (Official Charts)[16] | 16 |