Mark Knopfler - Shangri-La
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Free Music Notes for Shangri-La
Free Music Review: Mark as He's Always Been
Hit: 5 Stars
In many important ways, music reviews are as helpful as screen doors on a submarine. People who lament Mark Knopfler for not writing a 2004 version of Money for Nothing are pining for more of what they REMEMBER about Dire Straits, a band that was so thoroughly 80's without sounding dated. The fundamental shortcoming of this view is that Dire Straits was 20% Money For Nothing or Calling Elvis and 80% of what makes up the bulk of Mark's solo work.
I discovered Dire Straits through my older brother, just about when they stopped making music. I remember feeling how tragic this loss was, as I felt their last album, On Every Street, was an excellent follow up to Brothers in Arms. Clearly, the band did not sound like it was on the way out. Dire Straits became my favorite band and I have a deep love of every single album the band has released.
This is why it is baffling to me when people who review Mark Knopfler's work through the lens of Dire Straits fail to remember the huge volume of work that is stylistically very similar to his new music. For example, the Brothers in Arms album, which is widely considered the most popular album by his former band, is packed with tracks that bare this out:
So Far Away; Your Latest Trick; Why Worry; Ride Across the River; The Man's Too Strong; Brothers in Arms
None of these songs rocked. Only 3 of the 9 tracks on this album were traditional rock tunes, only 2 of those getting radio play (with So Far Away making it on the radio despite its sleep walking mood).
Go back to any album from Dire Straits and you will find that the majority of the material would feel right at home on a Mark Knopfler album. To name just a few examples: Once Upon A Time in the West; Love Over Gold; Portobello Belle; Six Blade Knife; Telegraph Road; On Every Street... the list goes on. In interviews with both Mark and his brother David, who has also released solo albums, the rock tunes were for radio and the storytelling and exploration into American folk music was for the love of the craft.
Mark Knopfler is widely considered one of the top five guitar players ever to pick up the interment, but never because his fast fingers. It is because of his ability to coax his steel guitar into guiding the emotion of his music, not just merely playing the notes on the page. As for the critiques of his voice? I can think of more than a dozen artists whose voice had character at the expense of velvety smoothness. Mark's voice is no different.
If you enjoyed all the music of Dire Straits and not just the radio hits, you will not be disappointed with Mark Knopfler's solo work, including this one. In the same spirit as James Taylor, Van Morrison and Eric Clapton, Knopfler has taken a seat amongst modern music's hall of fame elite. He has matured into an adult's musician who has a tremendous mastery of his craft; able to reach into many corners of musical style. Like watching a veteran athlete making the impossible seem effortless, Mark Knopfler's work, and Shangri-La is no exception, is an honor to experience.
Free Music Review: A consummate storyteller and guitarist non pareil
Hit: 5 Stars
Mark Knopfler's latest solo effort does not disappoint, unless you are one of the hard-core Dire Straits fan who will never be happy until Knopfler returns to hard-driving rock. (And we amazon shoppers have seen our share of those reviewers...) This album is not Dire Straits. What it is, however, is story-telling at its finest, which has always been one of Knopfler's strong points. Knopfler is one of the best lyricists in music today, and "Shangri La" shows this nearly as well as "Sailing to Philadelphia," which remains in my opinion the strongest of Knopfler's solo works. I do not mean to slight the music on this album by emphasizing the lyrics, however; Knopfler will always be one of the greatest guitarists, period, with a unique style and sound that is so characteristic that I knew immediately there was a new Knopfler album out when I heard just a snippet of a song played on the local public radio station. Nobody else makes a guitar sound the way Knopfler does.
But nobody writes songs the way Knopfler does, as well, and every one of his albums--both solo efforts and with Dire Straits--contains quiet gems that tackle topics that are rarely the subject of popular music. Take, for example, the track "Boom, Like That," which is, in my opinion, the best song on this album. Musically it is the catchiest of the bunch, and the one most likely to make a dent in the charts. But it's not until you concentrate on the lyrics that you realize it is also biting social commentary, describing Ray Kroc's buyout of the McDonald's name and his chutzpah in deciding to force the brothers out of business later on by opening a McDonald's across the street from their subsequent restaurant. When Knopfler sings "It's dog eat dog/ rat eat rat/ Kroc-style, boom, like that" it's an indictment not just of Ray Kroc but the entire remorseless, survival-of-the-fittest nature of unfettered capitalism.
The other highlight on the album is the title track, a prototypical soft and crooning Knopfler love song. As you listen to its chorus, "This is all the heaven we've got/ right here where we are/ in our Shangri La," the listener realizes that as long as there is a Mark Knopfler on earth to give us music of such depth and beauty, it's really all the heaven we need.
Free Music Review: Returning to what made him famous, sort of...
Hit: 5 Stars
Mark Knopfler returns to the fertile ground of Richar Thompson-esque folk in Shangri-La, his fourth solo album. There is, however, a little of the old rock and roll fire here. The guitar has returned to the fore on several of the tracks, and there are extended solos that rival anything he's done since Dire Straits disbanded. Where "Ragpicker's Dream" was mostly thirties-style blues and folk, "Shangri-La" has the feel of late Dire Straits, circa "On Every Street," or perhaps "Golden Heart." Thematically, too, this is a very different album than "Ragpicker's Dream." Where that album concentrated on the beaten-down working man, the Depression-era hero of the tracks and bars, the first few tracks of "Shangri-La" approach the men who beat them down in the first place. "Boom, Like That" is about the man who founded McDonald's, Ray Kroc, and how his original concept was turned into a sea of mediocre identical cheap eateries. "Sucker Row" is about every young wolf in the business world, emulating the heartless men above him in an effort to get ahead. I think there's a kind of veiled reference to the founding of Las Vegas in there, too. The title track is a gem of a love song, with guitars at the end that made me close my eyes until the last note went away.
The remainder of the songs range from the traditional-sounding "Donegon's Gone" to the Ragpicker-ish "Stand Up Guy." There's some uneven songwriting here, and I have to agree with the Amazon reviewer's assessment of "Song for Sonny Liston," in that it didn't reach the level of most Knopfler songs, with their eye for dialog and atmosphere. I interpreted the last track, "Don't Crash the Ambulance," as the sly advice for one leader to his successor, as he leaves the office (perhaps the Oval one?) for the last time.
Overall, Knopfler delivers his usual grace and musical skill to this effort. Well worth the price for his fans, although not likely to attract new listeners not used to his particular brand.
Free Music Review: Pleasantly surprised!
Hit: 5 Stars
When I read the first review here, the one that says this album is MK's most rocking effort since Dire Straits, I was quite put off, since I am a fan of his quiet work. Nevertheless I bought the album. I'm a fan of most of his work, so I thought "hey, it can't be THAT bad!". I got the MK bug when I first heard "Brothers In Arms" years and years ago. That song got me hooked on Dire Straits, and I started listening to his solo releases as well. From "Ragpicker's Dream," through "Sailing To Philadelphia," to this last album, I find myself enjoying nine out of ten songs of his. It seems to me that some people expect all MK's solo albums to have a sound akin to that of Dire Straits. I think it's great that an artist evolves and writes songs that he enjoys singing, which it is clear to me that Knopfler does on "Shangri-La." This he also did on "Sailing To Philadelphia," the title song of which, in my opinion, is one of the best songs ever, with regard to both melody and lyrics. The first time I listened through the new album and heard "5:15am," "The Trawlerman's song," "Boom, like that," and "Our Shangri-La," I immediately recognised the distinctive Knopfler-esque story-telling way of writing and singing. While I do miss some of the fantastic guitar solos of his earlier albums, the interesting lyrics, instantly familiar way of singing and the sweet, mellow quality of the songs more than make up for it. Any Knopfler fan that doesn't wear "Dire Straits-goggles," and that liked "Sailing To Philadelphia" should thoroughly enjoy the quiet, smooth musical trip to a relaxing, faraway corner of the soul that is "Shangri-La."Free Music Review: quiet, reserved, and tasteful
Hit: 5 Stars
This CD will take you time to appreciate. At first listen I thought "elevator music" -- rock so light it isn't rock. It takes a while to appreciate the subtleties and the quiet, quiet songs. (The reviewer who said this was Knopfler's most rocking effort since Dire Straits days obviously had never heard the CD. The only semi-rocking song is "Boom like That")
The CD also lacks the variety of recent Knopfler efforts. Gone are the Celtic, Country, Cajun, and Folk tunes that dotted his other CDs. Instead, "Shangri-la" is just six guys -- two guitars, a bass, a piano, an organ, and drums, sitting around playing relaxed songs. The CD gets my top rating for good lyrics, interesting tunes, virtuoso instrumentation, perfectionist fussiness, and Knopfler's voice, which sounds a little smoother with age than his usual Dylanesque gruffness. It's not a CD that inspires superlatives, and none of the songs will likely go to the top of the hit parade, but they're good -- every one of them. Some of them even have a little bit of a surf sound, reflecting perhaps the fact that the CD was recorded in California
Still, I can appreciate the opinion of those who say "Shangri-la" is boring. I yearn for one of Knopfler's great guitar solos like the screamers on "Telegraph Road," the chugging "Sultans of Swing," or the smoky country blues of "You and your Friend." No such luck. Are Knopfler's rocking days over? I guess we'll have to be content with what we get.