Equal parts blue-eyed soul shouter and wild-eyed poet-wizard, Van Morrison is one of popular music's true innovators, a restless seeker whose evocative vocals and alchemical fusion of R&B, jazz, blues and Celtic folk has produced perhaps the most spiritual work in the rock & roll canon. Subject only to the whims of his own muse, his recordings cover an extraordinary stylistic terrain, yet maintain a consistency and purity virtually unmatched among his contemporaries. They are united by the mythic power of his singular musical vision and fiery vocals: spiraling repetitions of wails and whispers that skirt the boundaries of language to articulate emotional truths that go far beyond the scope of literal meaning.