Mark Knopfler - Golden Heart CD

Golden Heart album for sale Those who find the pairing of '70s rock god Robert Plant with contemporary bluegrass queen Alison Krauss unlikely have probably not been paying attention to Plant's latter-day work, which is full of intimate, acoustic-flavored balladry. While the organic-sounding, low-key Plant/Krauss collaboration, RAISING SAND, is a far cry from Led Zeppelin's stadium rock, it offers up some hauntingly moody textures that should appeal to "Battle of Evermore" admirers. Consisting mostly of sagely chosen cover tunes, the album finds Plant and Krauss bringing their warm-but-eerie harmonies to everything from Townes Van Zandt's nihilistic folk poetry ("Nothin'") to the crumbled beauty of latter-day Tom Waits ("Trampled Rose"). Determined not to rest on their laurels or cater to expectations, the 59-year-old icon and his junior partner craft a subtle and intriguing sound built on their shared love of folk forms and gift for interpretation, bringing to light esoteric gems by late Byrds visionary Gene Clark and the Everly Brothers along the ...

Golden Heart CD music Mark Knopfler's first excursions outside of Dire Straits were film soundtracks, where his guitar mastery served him well. Starting in the mid-1990s, he embarked on a proper post-Straits solo career. By the time of 2004's SHANGRI-LA, Knopfler had almost entirely left behind the expansive instrumental textures of his former band in favor of a more straight-ahead singer/songwriter approach, which works wonderfully here. Knopfler keeps things low-key throughout most of SHANGRI-LA, with quietly intoned, often drolly sardonic lyrics, supple finger-picked guitar lines, and songs full of subtly crafted surprises. There's a wealth of unusual topics on offer here; "Boom, Like That" is a first-person monologue by Knopfler in the voice of Ray Kroc, the man behind the McDonald's fast-food empire. The bluesy "Song for Sonny Liston" chronicles the famed boxer's brushes with the underworld. "Donegan's Gone" laments the passing of British folk/skiffle pioneer Lonnie Donegan, a key influence on Knopfler and scores of other British rockers. Departing from the more folk-oriented sound of its predecessor, THE RAGPICKER'S DREAM, SHANGRI-LA more fully develops the detail-oriented, irony-laced songwriting style Knopfler first hinted at in Dire Straits tunes like "Money for Nothing." Personnel: Mark Knopfler (vocals, guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bottleneck guitar, Spanish guitar); Mark Knopfler; Paul Franklin (pedal steel guitar); Jim Cox (harmonica, melodica, piano, organ); Glenn Worf (bass instrument, upright bass); Richard Bennett (guitar, acoustic guitar, steel guitar, tiple); Guy Fletcher (piano, Fender Rhodes piano, harmonium, Clavinet, organ, Wurlitzer organ); Chad Cromwell (drums, percussion). Recording information: Shagri-La Studios, Malibu.

Golden Heart buy CD music KILL TO GET CRIMSON, Mark Knopfler's fifth solo album since folding Dire Straits in the mid 1990s, continues the trend of his solo work back to the sound and feel of the British folk revival of the 1960s and '70s. While Dire Straits was a very British version of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band circa BORN TO RUN, specializing in well-constructed epic pop-rock tunes, KILL TO GET CRIMSON suggests that Knopfler's true heart is in favorites like Pentangle and Fairport Convention. The songs on KILL TO GET CRIMSON are all originals, but they build upon old Scottish, English, and Irish folk forms, as on the ballads "The Scaffolder's Wife" and "The Fish and the Bird." Those expecting a new "Money For Nothing" might be disappointed, but KILL TO GET CRIMSON shows a new depth to the guitarist and singer's recasting of vintage British folk-rock. Kill To Get Crimson CD Mark Knopfler Photographer: Fabio Lovino. Personnel: Mark Knopfler (vocals, guitar); John McCusker (cittern, violin); Chris White (flute, clarinet, saxophone); Ian Lowthian (accordion); Steve Sidwell (trumpet); Guy Fletcher (keyboards); Frank Ricotti (vibraphone); Glenn Worf (bass guitar); Danny Cummings (drums, percussion). Recording information: British Grove Studio, London, England.