Van Morrison Remembering Now
Van Morrison's Remembering Now arrives as a reflective, soul-steeped return that finds the eighty-year-old revisiting Belfast streets, spiritual longings, and the rhythms of his past. Across five professional reviews the record earned a 72.4/100 consensus score, and critics generally agree that moments of romantic lyricism and organ-led soul make the collection rewarding even when the pacing slips.
Reviewers consistently point to a handful of standout tracks as proof of renewed spark. “Stretching Out” and “Down To Joy” emerge repeatedly as the record's emotional centers, while “Stomping Ground” and “Once In A Lifetime Feelings” are highlighted for their melodic immediacy. Critics praise long-form songwriting and languid grooves that allow Morrison's mantra-like lines and religious searching to resonate, and many frame the album as a musical retrieval or gentle return to form compared to his recent work.
At the same time professional reviews note uneven pacing and moments of filler: some tracks are celebrated for jolting arrangements or intimate three-chord charm, while others fall into structural sameness. The consensus suggests Remembering Now is not a full rebirth but a meaningful, often stirring chapter in Morrison's late catalog that foregrounds memory, homecoming, and legacy. For readers asking whether Remembering Now is good, critics largely answer yes for its high points and thematic cohesion; the detailed reviews below unpack where the record shines and where it drifts.
Critics' Top Tracks
The standout songs that made critics take notice
Stomping Ground
3 mentions
""Stomping Ground" swells with a gorgeous string arrangement that culminates in a Morrison robust saxophone solo."— Glide Magazine
When The Rains Came
2 mentions
""When the Rains Came" is this album’s equivalent to "In the Garden" from No Guru, No Method, No Teacher"— Glide Magazine
Once In A Lifetime Feelings
3 mentions
""One In a Lifetime Feelings" succeeds musically on the strength of Lakeman’s violin and bluesy guitar from Morrison."— Glide Magazine
"Stomping Ground" swells with a gorgeous string arrangement that culminates in a Morrison robust saxophone solo.
Track Ratings
How critics rated each track, relative to this album (0-100). Only tracks that made critics feel something are rated.
Down To Joy
If It Wasn’t For Ray
Haven’t Lost My Sense Of Wonder
Love, Lover and Beloved
Cutting Corners
Back To Writing Love Songs
The Only Love I Ever Need Is Yours
Once In A Lifetime Feelings
Stomping Ground
Memories And Visions
When The Rains Came
Colourblind
Remembering Now
Stretching Out
What Critics Are Saying
Deep insights from 7 critics who reviewed this album
Critic's Take
The review argues that Van Morrison's Remembering Now contains some of his best recent work, naming “Down to Joy” and “If It Wasn’t For Ray” as standout tracks while noting a few drearier moments. Chilton writes in a frank, slightly wry voice, insisting the album is "solidly enjoyable" even if it does not match Morrison's peak. He highlights the soulful, organ-rich feel of “If It Wasn’t For Ray” and the upbeat, Oscar-nominated lift of “Down to Joy”. The reviewer balances praise with context about Morrison's recent slump and age, concluding that for the first time in a long while there is reason to believe the artist again.
Key Points
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The best song is "Down to Joy" because it is upbeat, soul-tinged and Oscar-nominated, marking a high point on the album.
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The album's core strengths are soulful arrangements and moments of genuine optimism amid uneven pacing and a bloated tracklist.
Themes
Critic's Take
In this warm, elegiac appraisal Graeme Thomson traces how Van Morrison uses Remembering Now to revisit old streets and old music, and the best songs - notably “Stretching Out” and “Stomping Ground” - are where he truly returns to form. Thomson writes with pleased astonishment at Morrison's reawakened spiritual curiosity and musical retrieval, praising the nine-minute climax “Stretching Out” as almost impossibly thrilling. He singles out the intimate, three-chord magic of “Haven't Lost My Sense Of Wonder” and the jaunty pop hook of “Back To Writing Love Songs” as clear highlights. The review balances admiration with candour about weaker moments, but ultimately presents the album as a deeply heartening recognition of the artist himself.
Key Points
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The best song is the nine-minute closer "Stretching Out" because it revisits his peak territory and delivers an almost impossibly thrilling culmination.
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The album's core strengths are nostalgia-infused songwriting, spiritual curiosity, rich arrangements, and Morrison’s renewed vocal and emotional commitment.
Themes
Critic's Take
In this review Alec Lane writes that Van Morrison\'s Remembering Now finds strength in moments like “Down to Joy”, “If It Wasn’t for Ray” and “Haven’t Lost My Sense of Wonder”. Lane’s voice is measured and slightly skeptical, praising the album\'s gentle climaxes and Morrison\'s earthy voice while noting the songs\' structural sameness - he flags fiddle on “Cutting Corners” and the spirited arrangement of “Back to Writing Love Songs” as jolting highlights. The critic frames these as the best tracks because they break the autopilot, inject production life, or get Morrison to invest emotionally.
Key Points
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The best song is the one that breaks autopilot - "Cutting Corners" does this by adding fiddle and energy.
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The album's core strengths are Morrison's unburdened, earthy voice and moments where production or arrangement injects life into structurally similar songs.
Themes
Critic's Take
In this review Andrew Male argues that Van Morrison's Remembering Now finds its highest moments in the album's warm centre - particularly “Once In A Lifetime Feelings” and “Stomping Ground” - where romantic optimism and aching memory meet. He writes with the same measured, comparative cadence he uses throughout, tracing a through-line from earlier records and noting how the title track and “Stretching Out” turn recollection into a present-tense revelation. Praising its easeful openers like “Down To Joy”, Male frames the record as perhaps Morrison's best since 1991, a restorative, soul-minded return that answers the question of the best songs on Remembering Now by pointing to those vividly melodic, emotionally centred tracks.
Key Points
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The best song is a centrepiece like "Once In A Lifetime Feelings" because it is where the record truly opens up with romantic optimism.
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The album's core strengths are its reconnection to soul, warm horn-and-Hammond grooves, and a present-tense sense of wonder.
Themes
Critic's Take
In this warm appraisal Jim Hynes returns us to Remembering Now as a Van Morrison record steeped in memory and spiritual longing, singling out tracks that reclaim his old transcendent glories. He praises “Down to Joy” as soulful opener and contrasts it with the pensive “Haven’t Lost My Sense of Wonder” as the place we find the Van of late-80s dreaminess. Hynes also highlights “Stomping Ground” and the string-swelled centerpiece “Memories and Visions” as evidence that at 80 Morrison can still summon lush, emotional power. The narrative is tempered—he notes filler like “If It Wasn’t for Ray” and “Colourblind”—but ultimately asserts this is some of the best music he has offered in decades.
Key Points
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The best song is praised for reclaiming Van's transcendent mood and strong arrangements, notably "Haven’t Lost My Sense of Wonder" and "Down to Joy".
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The album's core strengths are memory-driven songwriting, spiritual searching, lush arrangements, and Morrison's still-powerful voice.