**1/2 Van Morrison

BACK ON TOP

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The thing about Van Morrison is that it ain't what he says but the way that he says it, like the dozen or so repetitions of the phrase "on a golden autumn day" on this new disc's closer, Van never doing it quite the same twice, landing on the long vowels with urgency, then resignation, but always with the faith that his ample incantatory powers will transform the mundane words into something soulful and deep. It often works. Good thing, too, because lyrics have long ceased to be one of his strong points, having settled into a kind of dour plain-speak (the happiest-sounding song here, "Precious Time," has the lines "She's so beautiful but she's going to die some day/Everything in life just passes away") dotted with awkwardly integrated references to heavy cultural signposts -- this time out it's the Philosopher's Stone, Chet Baker, and William Blake. And the thing about Morrison's studio albums, at least those of the last two decades, is that they tend to be so damn tasteful, with the singer only rarely breaking out from the rather delicate arrangements. Back on Top is no exception, and you wait in vain for the kind of transcendent peaks he still achieves on his live albums. He comes close when he hits that "autumn day" groove, but for the rest it's offhandedly soulful, standard Van.

-- Richard C. Walls