Today Van Morrison released the third single, "Dangerous", from his forthcoming What’s It Gonna Take?, his 43rd studio album. It will be released on Exile Productions/Virgin on May 20th. "Pretending" and "Nervous Breakdown" are the first two tracks from the album, both of which are out now everywhere online. 

Van is currently on tour in the US, playing Memphis' Beale Street Festival tonight and Nashville's legendary Ryman next week on May 3 and 4 (full dates listed below). 
 
What’s It Gonna Take? is the follow up to Van Morrison’s 2021 release - the 28-track double album Latest Record Project, Vol. 1 - and is further evidence of the rich creative streak that one of the world’s greatest artist’s is currently on.
 
What’s It Gonna Take? features fifteen new Van Morrison compositions that collectively reflect the artist’s indefatigable drive to record and perform live in front of audiences. The album is preceded by  two singles, "Nervous Breakdown" and "Pretending" - a gorgeous restless soul track, online everywhere now - and was produced by Van Morrison and was recorded between Real World Studios (Wiltshire), Bath Spa Hotel (Bath), Richard Dunn’s Studio, Culloden Hotel (Co. Down) Holywood Studio (Co. Down) and Musicbox Studios (Cardiff).
 
What’s It Gonna Take? track listing
Dangerous
What’s It Gonna Take?
Fighting Back Is The New Normal
Fodder For The Masses
Can’t Go On This Way
Sometimes It’s Just Blah Blah Blah
Money From America
Not Seeking Approval
Damage And Recovery
Nervous Breakdown
Absolutely Positively The Most
I Ain’t No Celebrity
Stage Name
Fear And Self-Loathing In Las Vegas
Pretending
 
Van Morrison US dates listed below (for full itinerray including Europe check Van's website):
 
April 29 Beale Street Music Festival, Memphis, TN
May 1 Ameris Bank Ampitheatre, Alpharetta, GA
May 3 & 4 Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN 
May 7 & 8 Chicago Theatre, Chicago, IL 
May 10 Fox Theatre, Detroit, MI 
 
September 1 Harbor Yard Ampitheatre, Bridgeport, CT 
September 3 Leader Bank Pavilion, Boston, MA 
September 4 Tanglewood, Lenox, MA 
September 7 Wolftrap, Vienna, VA 
September 8 Mann Center for the Performing Arts, Philadelphia, PA 
September 10 Forest Hills Stadium, Forest Hills, NY 
October 7, 8, 9  The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, NV
October 12 Arizona Federal Theatre, Phoenix, AZ
October 15 Mountain Winery, Saratoga, CA

Today, Ringo Starr released “Thankful,” the second track from his forthcoming country music album, Look Up. The song features Alison Krauss and is the only track on the album co-written by Starr, alongside Bruce Sugar. The album, produced and co-written by T Bone Burnett, is set to be released on January 10, 2025. “Thankful” is available to stream today.

“I love this track. I wrote it with my producer and engineer Bruce Sugar, and I feel we gave it an LA country sound. For the lyrics, I always like to focus on the positive, and for this song in particular, about what we can be thankful for,” Ringo reflected. “I hope it brings you some joy and peace and love.”

PRE-ORDER LOOK UP | HERE
LISTEN TO “THANKFUL” | HERE

Recorded this year in Nashville and Los Angeles, Look Up features 11 songs, nine of which were written or co-written by Burnett. One track was written by Billy Swan, and the other, as previously mentioned, was co-written by Starr and Bruce Sugar. Starr sang and played drums on all the songs and co-wrote the album’s closer, “Thankful,” which features Alison Krauss. For this project, Burnett enlisted some of Nashville’s finest and most sought-after talent, including Billy Strings, Larkin Poe, Lucius, Molly Tuttle, and the aforementioned Krauss. The album’s debut track, “Time On My Hands,” written by Paul Kennerly, Daniel Tashian (a co-producer on the album along with Sugar), and Burnett, is currently available to stream.

Starr’s lifelong love of country music has been apparent and celebrated throughout his illustrious career. He performed and wrote numerous country and country-tinged songs during his years with The Beatles (e.g., “Act Naturally,” “What Goes On,” “Don’t Pass Me By”), as well as with the earlier Rory Storm and The Hurricanes. He also recorded a country album, Beaucoups of Blues, in 1970 as his second solo album. His passion for Country and Blues music even inspired him to attempt emigrating from London to Texas as a teenager after reading that Lightnin’ Hopkins lived in Houston.

The artist’s new album was inspired by a chance meeting with Burnett at an event in Los Angeles in 2022. Although the two had first met in the 1970s, Starr asked Burnett to write a song for an EP he was recording. Burnett, taking the task to heart, returned with nine songs, all with a country flair. This happy coincidence put Starr on the path to record Look Up—his first country album in more than 50 years and his first full-length album since 2019.

Starr will bring his new music to Nashville when he headlines the famed Ryman Auditorium on January 14 and 15, 2025. Tickets are currently on sale.

About Ringo Starr

Throughout his career, Ringo Starr has received nine GRAMMY® Awards and has been inducted twice into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame—first as a Beatle and later as a solo artist. Between 1970 and 2023, Ringo released 20 solo studio albums and four consecutive EPs in 2020, 2021, and 2023. He has acted in over 15 films, received an Academy Award®, and earned an Emmy® nomination as an actor. Ringo has also published eight books, briefly worked as a male fashion model, and even served as a photographer for Foo Fighters PR photos.

Beyond music, Ringo is a visual artist and has exhibited his work extensively. His “Peace Sculpture” is on permanent display in Beverly Hills Park. Since 2008, Ringo has dedicated his July 7 birthday to promoting Peace and Love, a movement that has grown to include events worldwide—even reaching outer space with NASA’s support. In 2018, Ringo was knighted, and in 2019, he celebrated 35 years of touring with his All Starr Bands. Most recently, in 2022, Ringo received an honorary Doctor of Music degree from Berklee College of Music and was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame with the Joe Chambers Musicians Legacy Award.

Today the legendary singer-songwriter Paul Simon announced "A Quiet Celebration Tour," a US Tour for this Spring and Summer 2025 where he will present the live-debut performance of his critically acclaimed, Grammy-nominated album Seven Psalms, as well as perform a celebration of his timeless classics. The evolution of this extraordinary artist continues to unfold with this offering, in which Simon chose to perform in intimate venues where the acoustics are optimal in consideration of the severe hearing loss that he incurred over the last few years.

It was during the recording of Seven Psalms, as revealed in the acclaimed In Restless Dreams documentary, that Simon began to steadily lose the hearing in his left ear which initially made extended live performances impossible. Together with the Stanford Initiative to Cure Hearing Loss, and his own production team, Simon redesigned his entire stage set up to make performing viable. This included moving monitors to surround him as recently discussed on CBS Mornings LINK.

Inspired to perform again, Simon began work rehearsing and figuring out how he could bring Seven Psalms to the stage along with new arrangements of familiar favorites. Recorded on entirely acoustic instruments and performed predominantly by Paul, Seven Psalms transcended the concept of the “album” and was released as a single piece of continuous music in seven movements. Simon often says the listener completes the song, and he was eager to expand the experience into the live forum by performing this intricately layered work in intimate rooms with pristine acoustics.

The tour will begin on April 4 in New Orleans and travel throughout North America and Canada, concluding in Seattle in August. The band will include: Caleb Burhans (viola), Jamey Haddad (percussion), Gyan Riley (guitar), Mick Rossi (piano, keys),  Andy Snitzer (saxophone), Nancy Stagnita  (flute), Mark Stewart (guitar) and Eugene Friesen (Cello). Steve Gadd and Matt Chamberlin will alternate on drums.

All shows on sale Friday, February 21st at 10 AM local time.

For more information and to purchase tickets please visit paulsimon.com

TOUR DATES:

April 4 Saenger Theater, New Orleans, LA

April 5 Saenger Theater, New Orleans, LA

April 8 Bass Concert Hall, Austin, TX

April 10 Bass Concert Hall, Austin, TX

April 11 Bass Concert Hall, Austin, TX

April 14 Paramount Theatre, Denver, CO

April 16 Paramount Theatre, Denver, CO

April 17 Paramount Theatre, Denver, CO

April 20 Orpheum Theatre, Minneapolis, MN

April 22 Orpheum Theatre, Minneapolis, MN

April 23 Orpheum Theatre, Minneapolis, MN

April 26 Midland Theatre, Kansas City, MO

April 28 Stifel Theatre, St. Louis, MO

April 29 Stifel Theatre, St. Louis, MO

May 7 AT&T Performing Arts Center, Dallas TX

May 8 AT&T Performing Arts Center, Dallas TX

May 11 Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN

May 13 Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN

May 14 Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN

May 17 Riverside Theater, Milwaukee, WI

May 18  Riverside Theater, Milwaukee, WI

May 21 Symphony Center, Chicago, IL

May 23 Symphony Center, Chicago, IL

May 24 Symphony Center, Chicago, IL

May 27 Massey Hall, Toronto, ON

May 29 Massey Hall, Toronto, ON

May 30 Massey Hall, Toronto, ON

June 6 Wolf Trap, Vienna, VA

June 7 Wolf Trap, Vienna, VA

June 10 Boch Center, Wang Theatre, Boston, MA

June 12 Boch Center, Wang Theatre, Boston, MA

June 13 Boch Center, Wang Theatre, Boston, MA

June 16 Beacon Theater, New York, NY

June 18 Beacon Theater, New York, NY

June 20 Beacon Theater, New York, NY

June 21 Beacon Theater, New York, NY

June 23 Beacon Theater, New York, NY

June 26 Academy of Music, Philadelphia, PA

June 28 Academy of Music, Philadelphia, PA

June 29 Academy of Music, Philadelphia, PA

July 7 Terrace Theater, Long Beach Performing Arts Center, Long Beach CA

July 9 Disney Hall, Los Angeles, CA

July 11 Disney Hall, Los Angeles, CA

July 12 Disney Hall, Los Angeles, CA

July 14 Disney Hall, Los Angeles, CA

July 16 Disney Hall, Los Angeles, CA

July 19 Davies Symphony Hall, San Francisco, CA

July 21 Davies Symphony Hall, San Francisco, CA

July 22 Davies Symphony Hall, San Francisco, CA

July 25 The Orpheum, Vancouver BC

July 26 The Orpheum, Vancouver BC

July 28 The Orpheum, Vancouver BC

July 31  Benaroya Hall, Seattle, WA

August 2 Benaroya Hall, Seattle, WA

August 3  Benaroya Hall, Seattle, WA