From the start of BRIGHT SIDE OF THE ROAD to the climax of YOU KNOW WHAT THEIR WRITING ABOUT, Its all about LOVE baby love! When he's on his game this man speaks to the heart of life like no other. This is soul music that doesnt just come from a very deep place. He is in the music, like his own language. We who know are lucky enough to listen and be there too. Van is in the ZONE on this entire record, hard to ever find anything this good from anyone. My favorite artist of all time and this is his VERY BEST work! Wait did I just call it work? It cant be work making something this good. This is a JOY like Snoopy dancing on his dog house or being a child and waking up to find a snow day!!!!

I'm totally bewildered by the 5 star rating on this album! I own and LOVE his early albums...."Moondance", "Tupelo Honey", "Van Morrison and His Band and the Street Choir", "Saint Dominics Preview", and even "Wavelength" and his new one, "Keep it Simple" are right up there with the old stuff! I purchased this CD to add to my collection since I had never heard it and it had such wonderful reviews. What a dissapointment! I find him to be totally lost on this album. He seems to be uncomfortable and ill at ease in his singing. I don't like the instruments on this album either. I find the violin, stoviola, saxophone, and trumpets to be disturbing and incongrueous with his type of music. I don't like the religous references either. It borders on Christian Rock. Van, "Where are you?????!!" I don't even like the backing vocals he uses. They don't fit in at all. Wrong sound for his voice. The only reason I give this three stars instead of two is that he redeems himself on the last three songs. They show his true soul and talent. Do yourself a favor and get his new one instead of this...it's awesome!!!

I know there's little point in adding to the plethora of adulation for this disc, but I feel compelled to because it's not only a great collection, but "And the Healing Has Begun" is my favorite song (followed closely by Tupelo Honey). It's healed me many times. I recommend having it around just in case you need it.

INTO THE MUSIC is one of Van Morrison's best albums ever, and shows him at his best since ST. DOMINIC'S PREVIEW. His lyrics here reflect his born-again Christianity without imposing it on the listener, instead discussing the joys of self-discovery through a complex, shifting perspective. Although this CD contains few absolute knockout songs on the level of MOONDANCE or even TUPELO HONEY, what is here shows Morrison at the start of his mature phase as he looks at where he's been and ahead to where he's going next.

Call me clueless, but I've just gotten into Van Morrison in the past year or so. "Into the Music" CD has a lot of up key tracks that are terrific. Most fans of the singer will say "Duh" to that comment, but maybe there are still a few folks out there like me who haven't given his body of work a serious look before. Never too late to start and this album is a good one to include in the get-acquainted effort.