The Belfast icon delivers a defiant, soulful album rooted in reflection, resistance, and rhythm
On Somebody Tried to Sell Me a Bridge, Van Morrison sounds as uncompromising as ever.
The album arrives like a raised eyebrow to the modern music industry: world-weary, sharp-tongued, and steeped in the rich musical traditions that have defined his six-decade career.
Rather than chasing trends, Morrison seems to always be able to act on instinct, offering a record that feels both intimate and confrontational.
Sonically, the album leans into blues, jazz, folk, and soul, carried by warm horns, loose-limbed grooves, and Morrison’s unmistakable vocal phrasing.
His voice, still gruff, still elastic (even at 70!) moves between half-spoken grumbles and impassioned melodic runs, sounding less concerned with polish than truth.
There’s a lived-in quality here, as if these songs were written not for charts or playlists, but for late-night listening and long conversations.
Lyrically, Morrison is in no mood for subtlety.
Themes of disillusionment, media distrust, and personal sovereignty run through the album, often delivered with biting humour.
The title itself feels emblematic: a shrug at empty promises and manufactured narratives.
Yet for all the cynicism, there’s also warmth, moments of spiritual searching, romantic nostalgia, and reverence for music as a sustaining force.
What makes Somebody Tried to Sell Me a Bridge compelling isn’t a reinvention, but conviction as this album showcases the fact that Morrison isn’t trying to be relevant; he’s insisting on being himself.
In an era of constant reinvention and algorithm-driven output, that stubborn authenticity is empowering to see, alive and kicking.
This is an album for listeners who value mood over momentum, feeling over flash.
Van Morrison may not be offering easy answers, but he’s still asking interesting questions and is doing it on his own terms. Watch this space!
Order Somebody Tried to Sell Me a Bridge here to see for yourself that Sir Morrison is showing no signs of stopping, and is certainly taking no prisoners with him for the ride.
