Following his outstanding 2025 album Remembering Now, Van Morrison’s Somebody Tried to Sell Me a Bridge rings out like an invitation, not just to listen, but to sit in on a session where the old masters of Blues are sitting around in the corner of a smoky room, trading licks and stories.
Recorded at Studio D in Sausalito, California, and due to be released on January 23, 2026, the album compiles a remarkable roster of legendary Blues figures alongside Morrison’s most trusted crew. Taj Mahal, Buddy Guy, and Elvin Bishop lend their unmistakable talents alongside longtime collaborators such as John Allair on keys, David Hayes on bass, Bobby Ruggerio, Mitch Woods, Anthony Paule with his soul orchestra, and Drummer Larry Vann, all tied together with intentional clarity and warmth by engineers Jim Stern and Ben McAuley. The result is less a carefully outlined studio project and more an off-the-cuff conversation between like-minded musical souls, produced with a reverence for tradition that avoids a dusty, nostalgic trail.
From the beginning sounds of “Kidney Stew Blues,” you will recognize the notion of Morrison’s mission, which is to inhabit the blues without saturating himself in imitation. Here, his voice is rougher, but lighter in spirit than in some of his more reflective records, with a rolling swagger that feels like sliding into a familiar chair or diner booth. It is a bouncing, gritty beginning, a unique combination of grit and playfulness that sets the stage for a tone of celebration rather than stoic legacy. The song’s silty keys and churning rhythm section allow both Morrison and his guests to stretch out and look for room to gallop.
As the record continues, the atmosphere becomes more contemplative, especially when the opening notes of the sixth track, “Madame Butterfly Blues,” strike you in the ears. The melody wraps around itself with an ethereal gospel touch, and Morrison’s delivery lends both exhaustion and wonder. The song’s title may briefly glance at fragility, but the performance is full of strength, with the ongoing conversation between slide guitar and organ birthing one of the album’s most resonating grooves, where every sound seems earned and every silence heavily weighted.
Upon arrival at the twelfth track, “When It’s Love Time,” the album’s story expands. Morrison’s voice carries a gentle, almost soothing nature that contrasts with rougher edges that also echo throughout the record. An arrangement that encircles the words in an almost angelic organ and the whisper of horn accents that reverberate an intense devotion. Unlike some songs that wear their blues lineage a bit too obviously, this piece blends that tradition with Morrison’s carefully crafted soul instincts, keeping it fresh and deeply introspective amid the clamor of the Blues-heavy set.
Morrison provides a phenomenal treat with the finale, as “Rock Me Baby” closes the album with a rowdy joy that will forever remain a crowd-pleaser. The kind of number that has you bobbing and bouncing long after the track ends, Morrison and his talented cohort ping-pong solos and lines with unrelenting energy and fervor, ensuring the album does not drift away in a weak, wilting whisper but leaves the audience with a tremendous high. It is a fitting finale to a project that, throughout its run, juggles tribute with invention, past with present, and joy with despair.
Somebody Tried to Sell Me a Bridge offers moments that make you picture Morrison with a wide grin as he plays, as if he is, once again, freshly realizing a love that never truly left him. The music does not regurgitate the history of the blues, but rather converses with it, struggles with it, then laughs and prances around with it.
In an era when many artists of a similar age flee to the comforts of familiarity, Morrison entrenches himself, bringing personal history, reflection, and Blues history into a communal space that is at once respectful and defiant. A must-listen this winter season, Cryptic Rock gives Van Morrison’s Somebody Tried to Sell Me a Bridge 4.5 out of 5 stars.
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