Preparing to embark on a summer tour promoting his 2007 fall release, Kill to Get Crimson (Warner), Mark Knopfler has chosen a different approach to sharing his music with his fans. While not the pioneering free album giveaway concept revolutionized by such electronically visionary bands as Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails, Knopfler is instead combining his legendary live act with his crisp studio craftsmanship to offer a free copy of his fifth solo album for each pair of tickets sold on this upcoming tour.
Knopfler once again delivers an album rich with character development and low-key melodic ease. As the first of the album's twelve tracks unfolds, “True Love Will Never Fade" finds Knopfler's unmistakable baritone spinning a tale rooted so deep in Americana that it could almost carry over from his recent pairing with Emmylou Harris. However, tracks like “Heart Full of Holes" and “Secondary Waltz" utilize accordion to deliver a polka-infused take on Knopfler's musical storytelling, which seem to situate this album more upon English shores than American soil. “We Can Get Wild," “Punish the Monkey" and “Behind With The Rent" all deliver the groove rock and trouble-free sound associated with Knopfler's warm guitar tone and '80s heyday.
While the album may have been released under Knopfler's name, it's truly a collaborative effort with longtime bandmates Guy Fletcher on keyboards (dating back to the Dire Straits days), Danny Cummings on drums and Glenn Worf on bass, which makes this more than a showcase for Knopfler. Producer Chuck Ainlay has once again captured this roomful of talent onto a fluid album that plays like a song. While not an album for the iPod shuffle generation, Kill to Get Crimson does reward listeners that allow the storytelling to unfold.
