Van Morrison Remembering Now

Critic's Take

There is a relaxed confidence running through Van Morrison's Remembering Now, and the review makes clear the best tracks are rooted in that ease. The opener “Down To Joy” arrives with vocals smooth as silk, brass blasts and a euphoric melody that set the tone, while “Back To Writing Love Songs” is a contented jaunt showcasing his melodic mojo with guitar and strings. “Haven't Lost My Sense Of Wonder” is highlighted for evocative vocals and delicious organ fills, and the dour-to-hopeful arc of “When The Rains Came” earns notice as a doughty epic. Overall the review frames these songs as highlights because they marry Van's reflective lyrics with soulful, melodic arrangements that feel wholly at ease with his past.

Key Points

• The best song, 'Down To Joy', is best because it immediately establishes the album's euphoric, soulful tone with smooth vocals and brass.
• The album's core strength is its reflective, contented mood marrying melodic songwriting with tasteful soul and brass arrangements.

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

• The best song is a centrepiece like "Once In A Lifetime Feelings" because it is where the record truly opens up with romantic optimism.
• 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

• 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".
• The album's core strengths are memory-driven songwriting, spiritual searching, lush arrangements, and Morrison's still-powerful voice.

Themes

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

• The best song is "Down to Joy" because it is upbeat, soul-tinged and Oscar-nominated, marking a high point on the album.
• 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 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”. The critic frames these as the best tracks because they break the autopilot, inject production life, or get Morrison to invest emotionally.

Key Points

• The best song is the one that breaks autopilot - "Cutting Corners" does this by adding fiddle and energy.

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

• The best song is the nine-minute closer "Stretching Out" because it revisits his peak territory and delivers an almost impossibly thrilling culmination.
• The album's core strengths are nostalgia-infused songwriting, spiritual curiosity, rich arrangements, and Morrison’s renewed vocal and emotional commitment.

Themes