Duets: Re-working the Catalogue

Duets: Re-working the Catalogue is the 35th studio album recorded by Northern Irish singer/songwriter Van Morrison. It was released on 13 March 2015 on RCA Records.[1] Produced by Van Morrison along with Don Was and Bob Rock, it consists of songs previously recorded by Morrison this time recorded as duets. Performances include the artists Bobby Womack, Steve Winwood, Mark Knopfler, Taj Mahal, Mavis Staples, Michael Bublé, Natalie Cole, George Benson, Gregory Porter, Clare Teal, P.J. Proby, Joss Stone, Georgie Fame, Mick Hucknall, Chris Farlowe, and Morrison’s daughter Shana Morrison.

Duets: Re-working the Catalogue
Studio album by Van Morrison
Released	13 March 2015
Recorded	Belfast, Northern Ireland
Genre	jazz, blues, pop, rock, R&B
Length	76:13
Label	RCA
Producer	Van Morrison, Don Was, Bob Rock
Van Morrison chronology
Born to Sing: No Plan B (2012) Duets: Re-working the Catalogue (2015) The Essential Van Morrison (2015)

This is Morrison's first album for Sony Music since Blowin' Your Mind (Sony owns BANG).

Reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	65/100[2]
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[3]
Rolling Stone	[4]

The album has been given a Metacritic score of 65 based on 10 critics, indicating generally favourable reviews.[2] Mark Deming of AllMusic thought it an "honestly good album" in which Van Morrison "has chosen duet partners with intelligence". He judged that Van Morrison's "vocals lack the power and emotional force he so easily conjured in the '70s, but his sense of phrasing is as soulful and idiosyncratic as it has ever been", and although the album is "a long way from a triumph, it's a solid, heartfelt work from a veteran artist who isn't about to give up the ghost."

The album debuted on Billboard 200 at No. 23,[5] and at No. 2 on the Top Rock Albums chart,[6] selling 21,000 copies in its first week.[7] The album has sold 77,000 copies in the United States as of August 2016.[8]

Track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Some Peace of Mind" (with Bobby Womack)	5.15
2.	"If I Ever Needed Someone" (with Mavis Staples)	3.49
3.	"Higher than the World" (with George Benson)	3.48
4.	"Wild Honey" (with Joss Stone)	6.22
5.	"Whatever Happened to P.J. Proby" (with PJ Proby)	3.42
6.	"Carrying a Torch" (with Clare Teal)	4.52
7.	"The Eternal Kansas City" (with Gregory Porter)	4.10
8.	"Streets of Arklow" (with Mick Hucknall)	4.57
9.	"These are the Days" (with Natalie Cole)	3.51
10.	"Get on with the Show" (with Georgie Fame)	4.41
11.	"Rough God Goes Riding" (with Shana Morrison)	4.23
12.	"Fire in the Belly" (with Steve Winwood)	6.40
13.	"Born to Sing" (with Chris Farlowe)	3.59
14.	"Irish Heartbeat" (with Mark Knopfler)	5.14
15.	"Real Real Gone" (with Michael Bublé)	4.00
16.	"How Can a Poor Boy?" (with Taj Mahal)	6.34

Charts

Chart (2015)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[9]	10
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[10]	12
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[11]	20
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[12]	101
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[13]	13
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[14]	8
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[15]	3
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[16]	11
Irish Albums (IRMA)[17]	7
Italian Albums (FIMI)[18]	19
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[19]	2
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[20]	8
Portuguese Albums (AFP)[21]	15
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[22]	4
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[23]	33
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[24]	14
UK Albums (OCC)[25]	5
US Billboard 200[26]	23
US Digital Albums (Billboard)[27]	17
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[28]	2
US Top Tastemaker Albums (Billboard)[29]	6

References

1. "Duets: Re-working the Catalogue". 29 July 2015. Archived from the original on 17 March 2015. Retrieved 29 July 2015.
2. "Duets: Re-Working the Catalogue by Van Morrison". Metacritic.
3. "Duets: Re-working the Catalogue - Van Morrison". 29 July 2015. Retrieved 29 July 2015.
4. "Van Morrison Duets: Re-working the Catalogue Album Review". 29 July 2015. Retrieved 29 July 2015.
5. "Billboard 200: April 11, 2015". Billboard.
6. "Rock Albums: April 11, 2015". Billboard.
7. Gary Trust (2 April 2015). "Taylor Swift Tops Billboard Artist 100 for 20th Week, Rihanna Zooms Toward Top 10". Billboard.
8. "Upcoming Releases". Hits Daily Double. HITS Digital Ventures. Archived from the original on 29 August 2016.
9. "Australiancharts.com – Van Morrison – Duets: Re-working the Catalogue". Hung Medien.
10. "Austriancharts.at – Van Morrison – Duets: Re-working the Catalogue" (in German). Hung Medien.
11. "Ultratop.be – Van Morrison – Duets: Re-working the Catalogue" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
12. "Ultratop.be – Van Morrison – Duets: Re-working the Catalogue" (in French). Hung Medien.
13. "Van Morrison Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard.
14. "Danishcharts.dk – Van Morrison – Duets: Re-working the Catalogue". Hung Medien.
15. "Dutchcharts.nl – Van Morrison – Duets: Re-working the Catalogue" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
16. "Officialcharts.de – Top 100 Longplay". GfK Entertainment Charts.
17. "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 23, 2015". Chart-Track. IRMA.
18. "Italiancharts.com – Van Morrison – Duets: Re-working the Catalogue". Hung Medien.
19. "Charts.nz – Van Morrison – Duets: Re-working the Catalogue". Hung Medien.
20. "Norwegiancharts.com – Van Morrison – Duets: Re-working the Catalogue". Hung Medien.
21. "Portuguesecharts.com – Van Morrison – Duets: Re-working the Catalogue". Hung Medien.
22. "Spanishcharts.com – Van Morrison – Duets: Re-working the Catalogue". Hung Medien.
23. "Swedishcharts.com – Van Morrison – Duets: Re-working the Catalogue". Hung Medien.
24. "Swisscharts.com – Van Morrison – Duets: Re-working the Catalogue". Hung Medien.
25. "Van Morrison | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart.
26. "Van Morrison Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
27. "Van Morrison Chart History (Digital Albums)". Billboard.
28. "Van Morrison Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard.
29. "Van Morrison Chart History (Top Tastemaker Albums)". Billboard.