Mark Knopfler - Shangri-La
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Free Music Notes for Shangri-La
Free Music Review: Dont Be In Such a Hurry. This one takes its time.
Hit: 5 Stars
Many of these reviews hit on the same point. At first listen, this effort didnt knock you down. Not a BROTHERS IN ARMS. No instant gem. Perhaps not, but when you take a little time to relax with these songs, resist the impulse to be instantly judgemental, and really listen to these words, you will find a very full piece of work.
Knopfler is always going to be a guitar statesman. However, people forget or dont always give him due for his storytelling. And the collection of riff-raff that inhabit the worlds he has built here are as varied and obscure as you can get.
You can easily pick out the petite bios on Ray Kroc, Elvis, Sonny Liston. And even though you know them, you find that he's telling you something new.
But how about a song sung by the banjo player in a traveling medicine show? Where do you come up with that?
STAND UP GUY wont be the first song here to tempt you, but when it does, you will know just who he is and how he feels. A nobody who will never be anybody, but as warm and alive and convincing as any Lord or Lady.
The stories are exceptional. The delivery is crisp and for the most part frugal. Not a lot of overdone on this CD. There are some songs that you will like more than others, some you will like less, but the total at the end will make you smile. And more important, sing along. These are your people too.
Give this one the time it needs, and you will find you cant stop playing it.
Free Music Review: Wonderful album - my current favorite
Hit: 5 Stars
What has always impressed me most about Knopfler's work wasnt the show-off blazing stuff, but the way that the phrasing, the timing, the choice of just *that* note at just *that* time, was always slightly startling... and always absolutely the perfect choice.
In this album Knopfler manages to get that same feel, unified and infused throughout the lyrics, the singing, the timing, the story of every one of his songs. He doesnt need to pop a blazing solo; his ability to use just the right three words to make his message, and somehow overlay that with a perfectly chosen hesitation in his timing, and with his guitar somehow retelling the same story as he sings it, is much more impressive.
I bought this album after hearing Stand Up Guy on the radio, and loved the entire album at first hearing. I've listened straight through 5 times now, and like it more each time, and I'm just beginning to see all the depth of what he put in here.
Be warned, this is a very political album. Some reviewers here have commented on the political content of some of the songs, and that Dont Crash the Ambulance seems jarring at the end. I found Ambulance to be a perfect summary of what he had done throughout the album. Each of these songs somehow fits into Knopfler's political scheme, even those with no overt political message; they seem to introduce grace notes that highlight just the right tone of the political message that came before and after.
Free Music Review: Rich melodies and interesting subject matter
Hit: 5 Stars
One of his best collection of songs to date. As always, very understated and always respectful of the song. For those of us who love his guitar playing, it is slightly sad that the days of the "guitar hero" are gone, replaced by a much more folksy/bluesy musician. While the long solos are gone, he still has the magic to ornment songs with his playing, which is as crisp and melodic as ever.
I've always been attracted to Knopfler's choice of subject matter for his songs and this album really doesn't disappoint. There are songs about coal miners in the UK (5:15 am), Elvis (Back to Tupelo), MacDonalds (Boom, Like That), Sonny Liston, and the Bush family (Don't Crash the Ambulance). I have to say that in contrast to one of the other reviewers, I find Don't Crash the Ambulance both interesting and funny - it's not vulgar. For me, the stand out track is Boom, Like That which I can listen to endlessly.
The muscial style is as diverse as you'd expect, though the blues influence is perhaps stronger than on his previus works. On Our Shangri-La, Knopfler also sings properly perhaps for the first time on a record, with an impressive range.
In summary, I was really excited by the prospect of listening to these songs and that is usually a recipe for disappointment. Not this time. An excellent album, which Knopfler fans will really enjoy though given current trends it's unlikely to make any commercial waves.
Free Music Review: the evolution of a master
Hit: 5 Stars
I do not question greatness but accept that a mind constantly moving forward is going to arrive at new horizons that may or may not be appreciated by everyone. Mark Knopfler listens to his own muse, and if the average fan does not get the wickedly clever nuances of tunes like "Don't Crash The Ambulance" (one of my favourites), then they are stuck in a time warp and would not be happy with anything but blazing riffs. I can tell you - because I am there now - age has its privileges, and one of them is the freedom to adapt and grow. This album is only the most recent indication that Mark will not remain static in his role as composer but will continue to challenge our abilities to interpret his music - to smile at a joke suddenly caught in the lyrics of a song like "boom, like that", or to be honoured that he would share something as personal as a song like "All That Matters" which to me sounds like a lullabye written for his children. It does not bother me - and it probably doesn't bother him - that there are those who won't get some of his music as he evolves. This is a first-rate work from a man who continues to surprise and please. There is not a song on this album that isn't a little masterpiece of its own - and it can't be easy, or everybody could do it. I look forward eagerly to his next solo work, and am confident that i won't be disappointed. He hasn't disappointed me since 1979. I appreciate each new venture.Free Music Review: What next?
Hit: 5 Stars
After 25+ years of listening to Dire Straits and, then, Mark Knopfler's solo output, I am finally prepared to make a statement:
Dude is incapable of writing a bad song.
When so much of what passes for popular music is so resolutely UN-melodic, Knopfler continues to craft tunes that are beautiful, haunting, and nuanced.
"Shangri-la" doesn't teem with lavish production values (and guest artist appearances) like "Sailing to Philadelphia," nor does it have the raw feel of several of the tracks on "The Ragpicker's Dream." But, by now we ought to know: if we expect a Mark Knopfler release to sound like the LAST Mark Knopfler release, we're doomed to disappointment. The man is getting older, and his music is evolving.
If his guitar is less evident than it has been, his voice has never been more expressive. And, if the current collection doesn't necessarily "rock," it might be because he's writing about things that don't WANT to be addressed at high volume.
I was fortunate enough to catch Mark's show on the current tour, where he played a fabulous blend of the old and the new. Here's a guy who brought us to tears with a lovely rendition of the title track from "Shangri-la"...but he still gets a kick out of belting out "Sultans of Swing."
I can't wait to hear what he does next.