Thank heavens. I was beginning to wonder after "His Band And The Street Choir," whether perhaps Van's mercurial talent was on the wane.

Although that album improved a lot with repeated playings, it still sounds perhaps a little too comfortable, with more inconsequential throw-aways than any other Morrison album.

"Tupelo Honey" sweeps away all fears because, although it doesn't represent a return to the anguish of "Astral Weeks" or the sensual tautness of "Moondance," it consolidates "Street Choir's" sense of happiness, and makes something worth while of it. Whereas with "Street Choir" he was simply saying, "I'm here, and I'm happy," now he's telling us why he's at peace, and what makes him feel good….

"Old, Old Woodstock," for instance, is a masterful song of rest and tranquility, on the same theme as [Bob] Dylan's "Time Passes Slowly," and its air of total self-conscious contentment aptly characterizes a very powerful album. Van Morrison can rock a bit, you know.