New Mark Knopfler - Kill to get Crimson

 

Yes, I got this fine CD for Christmas, and I've been thoroughly enjoying it ever since.

 

Though I've read a 3 star (out of five) review for it, I think it's stronger than that (I'd give it 3.5 to 4).  I find it to be stronger and more consistent overall than the prior Sailing to Philadelphia, and I think that any confirmed Dire Straits fan, who also liked that band's slower, folkier numbers, should find much to like here.

 

Some thirty years have passed since "Sultans of Swing" first hit the airwaves, but Knopfler is still in great form: his voice sounds as good as ever, the guitar is as distinctive and masterful as always, and the writing is top notch and mature. Time spent in Knopfler's company is time well spent -- like an overdue reunion with an old friend who has a lot of tales to tell.

 

Indeed, the album's 12 songs are much like short stories -- charming vignettes, or portraits in song, if you will, of interesting characters from a tattoo artist who muses that " true love will never fade," to an aging "scaffolder's wife" who's "losing her looks over company books," to a failed actor returning from Hollywood to his home town, to terrified 12 year-old schoolboys being taught to waltz by a tough old gym teacher who's "out of the army," to a pawn shop owner who deals in failed dreams and "dead people's wedding gifts," to a struggling artist facing a choice between continuing art or giving up to become a soldier. There's even a ballad about a fish and a bird who fall in love only to "find no place to build a home in."

 

In short, this is a lovely, classy album for mature listeners. Like fine literature, tasty brown ale, or complex red wine, it's to be savored. Give it a go!