Duets: Re-working the Catalogue

Duets: Re-working the Catalogue is the 35th studio album by Northern Irish singer/songwriter Van Morrison, released on 13 March 2015 on RCA Records, a subsidiary of Sony Music. Produced by Van Morrison along with Don Was and Bob Rock, it consists of previously recorded Morrison songs, reworked as duets. Collaborators include 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. Morrison's first album for Sony, it entered the Top 10 in six countries, including the UK.

Reception
The album scored 65 / 100 on Metacritic, based on ten reviews, indicating a generally favourable response. Mark Deming of AllMusic thought it an "honestly good album" in which the artist "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". While it 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." In a rave review, Rolling Stone said that the singer "unearths lost classics with all-star friends", and "digs up deep cuts from mostly overlooked albums."

Duets debuted on Billboard 200 at No. 23, and at No. 2 on the Top Rock Albums chart, selling 21,000 copies in its first week. The album had sold 77,000 copies in the US as of August 2016.

In 2015, Morrison sold the rights to most of his catalogue to Legacy Recordings, the catalog division of Sony Music. Duets was his first album recorded following that deal.

Personnel

 * Van Morrison - acoustic guitar, alto saxophone, vocals
 * Dave Keary - guitar, banjo
 * Marcel Camargo, Ryan Lerman - guitar
 * Paul Moore, Stanley Banks, Craig Polasko - bass
 * David Garfield, Alan Chang - piano
 * Paul Moran - Hammond organ, piano, flugelhorn, trumpet
 * Jean Caze, Jumaane Smith, Justin Ray - trumpet
 * Christopher White - tenor and baritone saxophone, tin whistle
 * Jacob Rodriguez - baritone saxophone
 * Jake Saslow, Rob Wilkerson - alto saxophone
 * Alistair White - trombone, euphonium
 * Mark Nightingale, Joshua Brown, Nick Vayenas - trombone
 * Jeff Lardner, Robbie Ruggiero, Khari Parker, Marion Felder - drums
 * Abass Nii Dodoo, Mike Osborn, Lilliana de Los Reyes - percussion

Invited guests

 * Bobby Womack : Vocals
 * Mavis Staples : Vocals
 * George Benson ; Vocals
 * Joss Stone : Vocals
 * P.J. Proby : Vocals
 * Clare Teal : Vocals
 * Gregory Porter : Vocals
 * Mick Hucknall : Vocals
 * Natalie Cole : Vocals
 * Georgie Fame : Vocals
 * Shana Morrison : Vocals
 * Steve Winwood : Vocals
 * Chris Farlowe : Vocals
 * Mark Knopfler : Vocals
 * Michael Bublé : Vocals
 * Taj Mahal : Vocals