He paints a vivid picture of the daily grind of touring (“Got to get off this merry-go-round”) on the lilting, country-flavoured ‘Bags Under My Eyes’ and encourages his band to add a “shot of rhythm’n’blues” akin to Them on the potent titular song. The iconic singer also reconnects with his formative influences on a further trio of stand-out cuts. His voice has a deeper, richer timbre these days and it’s the ideal vehicle for the album’s more reflective fare, such as ‘Read Between The Lines’, the wistful, shuffle-y ‘March Winds In February’ and the delightful, Tupelo Honey-esque ‘Up On Broadway’, on which Morrison gets nostalgic for times past spent in San Francisco’s North Beach and his favourite City Lights bookstore.

Regardless of their skill and subtlety, however, any team requires inspiration from their leader, so it also helps that Morrison is in such fantastic vocal form. He has talented players such as bassist David Hayes and Hammond organ virtuoso Paul Moran on speed dial, while, this time around, he’s also reunited with versatile US guitarist Jay Berliner, a veteran of the sessions for his widely-hailed 1967 album, Astral Weeks. It’s a significant bonus that Morrison can call upon the cream of studio sessioneers to realise his restless muse. Long-term fans, however, will be thrilled to discover that Three Chords And The Truth boasts 14 freshly-minted songs, all of which are Van Morrison compositions, save for ‘If We Wait For Mountains’, which includes a lyric from the singer’s longtime acolyte Don Black. Morrison maintained a uniform approach across Roll With The Punches, Versatile and The Prophet Speaks, mixing and matching reimagined versions of blues, jazz and R&B standards with newly-penned tracks of a similar stripe.

Astral weeks van morrison chords