You can accuse Van Morrison of many things -- but painting himself into a corner is not one of them.

Over the past few years, the blue-eyed soul man has surprised fans and confounded critics by doing whatever he damn well pleases whenever it damn well pleases him. If he wants to play skiffle with Lonnie Donegan, he does. If wants to record country with Jerry Lee Lewis's sister, well, ditto. And if you don't like it, tough.

Thankfully, Van the Man fans will find little to gripe about with What's Wrong With This Picture?, his followup to last year's bluesy Down the Road.

On this 13-cut beaut, Morrison takes another left turn, but it's a soft one, with the troubadour venturing into a kinder, gentler world of mellow, jazzy soul and blues.

Backed by a horn-heavy band with a burbling organ and plenty of sweet strings, Morrison loosens up and gets into the groove here, presenting a little jumpin' jazz (Whinin Boy Moan), some white-wine white-boy blues (Too Many Myths), the odd bit of Latin-flavoured love balladry (Once in a Blue Moon), a touch of timeless New Orleans (St. James Infirmary) and plenty of smoky jazz-pop (Evening in June, Somerset).

For those after something a little more upbeat, Stop Drinking picks up the pace with a dash of twangy rockabilly.

What's Wrong With This Picture? Not a damn thing.

Track Listing
1. What's Wrong With This Picture
2. Whinin Boy Moan
3. Evening In June
4. Too Many Myths
5. Somerset
6. Meaning Of Loneliness
7. Stop Drinking
8. Gold Fish Bowl
9. Once In A Blue Moon
10. Saint James Infirmary
11. Little Village
12. Frame
13. Get On With The Show