Jill Furmanovsky

Van Morrison has announced a new album, Roll with the Punches, set for release September 22. The record marks the 37th studio effort for the iconic UK singer-songwriter and features both newly written compositions and covers of classic R&B tunes in its 15 tracks.

“From a very early age, I connected with the blues. The thing about the blues is you don’t dissect it–you just do it,” Morrison says, noting that the album’s tracks, both covers and originals, are all “performance oriented.” Roll with the Punches includes covers of songs from Bo Diddley, Count Basie, Sam Cooke, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Little Walter, Mose Allison and more.

“I’ve never over-analysed what I do; I just do it,” Morrison says. “Music has to be about just doing it and that’s the way the blues works–it’s an attitude. I was lucky to have met people who were the real thing–people like John Lee Hooker, Jimmy Witherspoon, Bo Diddley, Little Walter & Mose Allison. I got to hang out with them and absorb what they did. They were people with no ego whatsoever and they helped me learn a lot.”

Morrison has also set a run of fall tour dates in the US and UK, starting off September 10 in Hershey, PA. See those dates below, along with the tracklist for Roll with the Punches. Pre-order the album here.

Roll with the Punches Tracklist:

1. Roll With the Punches (Van Morrison & Don Black)
2. Transformation (Van Morrison)
3. I Can Tell (Bo Diddley & Samuel Bernard Smith)
4. Stormy Monday/Lonely Avenue (Stormy Monday—T-Bone
Walker/Lonely Avenue—Doc Pomus)
5. Goin’ To Chicago (Count Basie & Jimmy Rushing)
6. Fame (Van Morrison)
7. Too Much Trouble (Van Morrison)
8. Bring It On Home To Me (Sam Cooke)
9. Ordinary People (Van Morrison)
10. How Far From God (Sister Rosetta Tharpe)
11. Teardrops From My Eyes (Rudy Toombs)
12. Automobile Blues (Lightnin’ Hopkins)
13. Benediction (Mose Allison)
14. Mean Old World (Little Walter)
15. Ride On Josephine (Bo Diddley)

Van Morrison Tour Dates

September 10 Hershey, PA – Outlaw Music Festival at Hersheypark Stadium
September 14 Nashville, TN – Ascend Amphitheater
October 13 Rancho Mirage, CA – Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa
October 14 Rancho Mirage, CA – Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa
October 20 Oakland, CA – Fox Theater
October 21 Oakland, CA – Fox Theater
November 6 Edinburgh, UK – Edinburgh Playhouse
November 7 Glasgow, UK – Glasgow Royal Court
November 12 London, UK – Eventim Apollo
November 13 Birmingham, UK – Symphony Hall
November 15 Liverpool, UK – Philharmonic Hall
November 20 Cardiff, UK – St. David’s Hall
November 21 Bristol, UK – Colston Hall
November 24 Torquay, UK – Princess Theatre
November 25 Plymouth, UK – Plymouth Pavilions
December 4 Belfast, UK – Europa Hotel
December 5 Belfast, UK – Europa Hotel