Van Morrison - Veedon Fleece (1997)

On this subtle classic, a comparatively somber, subdued Van Morrison emerged from the rubble of the failed marriage that a few years earlier infused his American studio sessions with a conjugal glow and journeyed home to Ireland to revive his Celtic identity. From the pale, hand-colored images on its cover to the quieter, more skeletal arrangements of the music, 1974's Veedon Fleece originally seemed dispiriting to Morrison fans hoping for the R&B ebullience of its predecessors. Yet songs like "Linden Arden Stole the Highlights," "Streets of Arklow," and "Country Fair" anticipate the pastoral Irish lyricism that would bloom again a half decade later on Into the Music, emerging as a cornerstone of Morrison's work from the '80s forward. --Sam Sutherland