Down the Road continues the magnificent journey that George Ivan Morrison began when he first heard the call of the blues as a child growing up in post-war Belfast. In keeping with the open-hearted nature of his best work, "Whatever Happened to PJ Proby?" and "What Makes the Irish Heart Beat" hinge on candid revelations and tender insights. Journalists may tiresomely characterise him as obdurate, but with songs like "Choppin' Wood", simultaneously a hymn to working-class perseverance and a deeply felt ode to his late father, Morrison is the most autobiographical songwriter of his generation.

With a band comprising long-time associates like David Hayes and 1960s guitar-great Mick Green, the dovetailing of Morrison's many influences is assured. His voice is the astounding instrument at the centre, capable of touching deep feelings others don稚 even know exist. On the awesome "The Beauty of the Days Gone By", he sings of how memories will "keep me young as I grow old". It certainly sounds as if he's found the perfect elixir. --Gavin Martin