Another Danish review. It seems that the common opinion among the danish reviewers is that Knopfler is boring, but this review none the less ends up at 4 out of 6 stars. I have in serveral occsasions read about the "weak falsetto" in "Nobody's Child", which I in particular love because of that falsetto. I think it is beautifully emotional.
----
Review: Mark Knopfler’s new album is decent and a bit boring(4 of 6 stars)
Most of Mark Knopfler’s new songs are on the long side of five minutes. It would suit the songs to be at least a minute and a half shorter.
Music: On “Down The Road Wherever”, Mark Knopfler’s ninth solo album, the 69 year old Scot sounds like a mix of Bob Dylan and an ageing Johnny Cash.
The gallery of characters in several of Mark Knopfler’s lyrics could be stolen from a not yet written John Irwing novel: The fur trapper coming in to the nearest Klondike to sell his fur, the gambler preparing his comeback and the ragged child, who far to soon learns to speak with his fists, the knife and the bottom of a broken bottle.
The first single “Good On You Son” reminds you of Dire Straits in the less inspiring years. After a soft dance intro, the song develops into a halfway funky pop being scarred by a four to the floor-rhythm, which luckily is being drowned by a saxophone solo.
Gentle bossa"Just A Boy Away From Home" is a clattering sump-skiffle with a lot of slide guitar. Underway the song develops into a second line-brass culminating rather humorous into the musical couple Rodgers and Hammestein’s “You Never Walk Alone”, mostly known as Liverpool’s anthem.
The drum-heavy “Trapper Man” borrows musical lines from the Beatles’ “Nowhere Man”. Knopfler has less success with “Heavy Up” which is inspired by Miriam Makebas "Pata Pata”, which I was force fed with in the early seventies in the music lessons in the primary school.
Knopfler moves around in the genres. “Back On The Dancefloor” is a lazy rhumba. “When You Leave” is a jazzy beguine, a small-talking ballad. “Nobody Does That” is one of my favourites; a playful funky song with a well fitted brass section, percussion, Moog and the special Stevie Wonder’ish synth-spinet sound.
On “Floating Way”, the latin rhythms once again dominates, while “Slow Learner” shows Knopfler as a crooner in a soft bossanova, which certainly has its qualities.
A nod to Cash“Nobody’s Child” is musically an unmistakable nod to Johnny Cash, but Knopfler’s fragile falsetto does nothing good for the overall expression. “My Bacon Roll” is musically uninspired, but the slow shambling ballad is saved by the silly lyrics about the every day with every day on top of it.
On the good-natured “Drover’s Road” the cowboy movie theme melts together with the irish folk and the sound of a funeral procession – decent but boring.
"One Song At A Time" is probably the most redundant song on the album: A hero guitar solo initiates the song which lasts cumbersome six minutes and 17 seconds, because there in the best communist-jazz style needs to be room for interminable solos for almost every participant.
Short and conciseMark Knopfler has had fun in getting as far into the musical corners as possible, and he deserves credit for that. But as all songs except one last over four minutes, most of them exceeding five minutes, is too bad, as Knopfler in transit runs dry of musical ideas.
At least one and a half minute could easily be cut off of almost every song. The albums’ praiseworthy encore is a proof of that. “Matchstick Man” is a shortie, which in under three minutes shows what it is Mark Knopfler does best when he’s inspired the most: Capture an atmosphere and portray a human destiny shortly and concise.
Source:
https://www.fyens.dk/Danmark-Kultur/Anmeldelse-Mark-Knopflers-nye-album-er-redeligt-og-lidt-kedeligt/artikel/3300422
