My review - **SPOILERS about songs**

[JF]

OK sorry for the delay...

Don’t put too much signification into my words, these are just impressions, with my taste
When I quote a song for “flavor” it’s not exactly the same style of course, just an idea that came to mind when I heard the song

Trapper man
Americana style. Fits well with the album cover; great opener for the album;
intro with beautiful guitar arpeggios. Then a drum break, and right into the song ! heavy rhythm guitar
Female background vocals on the chorus;
Guitar solo; sounds like the LP, but not sure.
"gospel”-style background vocals after the guitar solo
I like it a lot. Typically the song you want to hear while driving
A little Darling pretty flavour, but with a more balanced rhtyhm
 

Back on the dance floor
Very surprising style. soul/rock I may say
The most “surprising” style for me; I like it
“Modern” sounds
Lots of background vocals
Guitar solo, sounds like LP or pensa
May I say it has a Dire straits/OES album flavor…


Nobody child
Intro on Acoustic guitar with ambient sounds
And then you go into a laid-back song ala JJ Cale/someday
Lead guitar. Sounds like LP
And the most surprising : Mark’s singing on the chorus !
Even higher than “paragayyyyy” ! yes ! at first listen I though tit was a female background vocal, but no it’s Mark
I like it a lot


Just a boy away from home
it starts like Junkie doll with a similar riff and then it changes into soul/blues
And a long slide solo, but not like on tracker. Here it sounds like Ry Cooder ! very nice
I like it
 

When you leave
trumpet intro that made me think to Miles Davis.
Intimist jazzy song. Piano, acoustic guitar, double bass, and jazzy drums
Pavel I guess there are some jazzy chords here
nice song


Good on you son
Ok, you have a dedicated thread about it 


My bacon roll
some crowd sounds at the begining ( a little bit like on St Pepper)
Hard to describe the musical style; balla, but in "modern" style
Some chords you didn’t expect
Guitar solo. LP or strat not sure
Piano licks on the outro
 

Nobody does that
funky, in the 70’s style
wah rhythm guitar, brass, funky 70’ synth, and lead guitar
it grooves ! kind of “superstition” flavor !
unexpected chord progression at the end of sax solo
guitar solo; sounds like LP but with clean tone
the wah guitar becames crazy at he end, but it’s in the fade out..
I like it a lot

 

Drover’s road
slow pace. Ambient sounds for intro, with driven Les Paul.
Scottosh/irish flavour ala “before gas and tv” with a recurrent theme in minor

 
One song at the time
ballad, medium-quick pace.
a little folkish flavor, but with driven lead Les Paul
kind of “border reiver” flavor…but I prefer Border reiver
great chords changes. I like it because it doesn’t sound how you would have expected like many other MK songs
some flutes and fiddle at the end, but not too much, and blended with lead driven Les Paul (unless it’s the pensa ?)

 

Floating away
slow pace. Flavour ala blood and water/ say too much with beautiful piano. Some Strange sample/synths sounds
Female background vocals on the chorus. Acoustic guitar with chords Pavel should like !
Electric solo on clean sound. Not sure about the guitar; Maybe strat ?
I like it a lot.
 

Slow learner
Gorgeous piano. Intimist jazzy song with double bass and jazzy drums. Beautiful singing. Discret electric guitar with tremolo (ala Richard, but Mark is credited). superbTrumpet solo. Miles Davis sounds style.
I like it. I think that this style fits very well with Mark’s voice, and maybe his age too.

 
Heavy up
Strange style : saxo dancing calypso ? weak song for me. A little bit out of the style of the rest of the album. Don’t like it. Strange choice to include it in the regular album, should have been a bonus/B-side imho
Frist a guitar (silvertone ?) solo and then a Trombone solo. Background vocals at the end
The sax riff at the start reminds me of “joe le taxi” (awful French song by Vanessa Paradis !)
 
 
Machstick man
Mark alone on guitar. The melody reminds me of “heart of oak”
nice closing for the album



it's a great album for me, and I'm sure that many of you will like it 
 

[Dutchessy]

Thank you for this review!!

[Jules]

Thank you, very interesting!

[dmg]

Thanks very much JF for your review.  We are mostly on the same page with all things Knopfler related so I am really excited by your thoughts here.   

[border_reiver]

It sounds really promising!

Can't wait to hear the Cooderesque styles.

And of course, the slide parts!

[straitsway75]

Thanksssssssss

[Jules]

How much representative you would say the single is for the general sound of the album?

[JF]

How much representative you would say the single is for the general sound of the album?

Yes the sound/production is representative, but it's not my fav song
I admit that the 2 times I Iistened to the album, I skipped it because I wanted to hear new stuff
what is also representative is the kind of rhtyhm. ard to describe : syncoed, a little bi "funky" but that's not exactly the right term, groovy I may say...

To me it's a real change regarding previousalbums beacuse rhtyhms were :
1) stratight time ballads (True love, beryl, redbud tree...)
2) waltz 3/4 or 6/8 waltzes (haul away, Basil, secondary waltz)

but you didn't have that kind of groove

I think that this style suits more radio, alittle bit more mainstream, but in the good way
Don't know if I it's clear, but it's hard to find words to describe

[quizzaciously]

Oh, it's very nice to have a review like that, because you know what to expect. I laughed hard at Joe Le Taxi part, I guess you're talking about "pu-rum" sax part right? A lot of jazz is the greatest thing for me, because it really suits Mark's style and age. More sophisticated music fro a more sophisticated man than a teenager.

[Robson]

I give up. I have too many questions Thanks JF

[JF]

Oh, it's very nice to have a review like that, because you know what to expect. I laughed hard at Joe Le Taxi part, I guess you're talking about "pu-rum" sax part right? A lot of jazz is the greatest thing for me, because it really suits Mark's style and age. More sophisticated music fro a more sophisticated man than a teenager.

yes excatly that "pu-rum" part  you found the exact word 

yes I guess that when a musician gets older, he naturally goes more into jazz. Many musicians did that
Here, Marks sings very "classy", and piano + trumpet sounds very classy old-school jazz. I like it  a lot

[JF]

Just to let you know : I asked by email to Universal France if I could write something on culturebox, including some snippets (I did that with a french singer last year)
I don't have much hope, but maybe they will accept just for one or two songs...it depends on labels strategy of course
if I have news tomorrow, I will let you know

[cannibals]

Thank you JF!
What songs would MK play live do you think? Or at least would have a chance to make it to the setlist?

[quizzaciously]

Thank you JF!
What songs would MK play live do you think? Or at least would have a chance to make it to the setlist?

He will open with "pu-rum" sax song, how dare you ask

[Love Expresso]

This "pu-rum", isn't it on The Bug also?

LE