Mark Knopfler’s ‘The Studio Albums 1996–2007′: Review

Golden Heart, his 1996 solo debut (unless you count several soundtrack LPs), includes a few songs that recall Dire Straits (especially the bouncy “Cannibals,” whose sound echoes “Walk of Life”), but most of its best numbers chart a somewhat different course. Among them: the sweet and beautiful title track; a love song called “Darling Pretty” that opens with traditional-sounding Irish/Scottish music (harp, whistle, violin) before transforming into an anthemic midtempo rocker; and “A Night in Summer Long Ago” and “Done with Bonaparte,” which both employ uillean pipes.

Sailing to Philadelphia, which followed in 2000 and earned Knopfler some of the best reviews of his solo career, features consistently excellent songs, including the Dire Straits-like “What It Is,” and memorable vocal contributions from guests like Van Morrison (“The Last Laugh”), James Taylor (the title track), and Squeeze’s Glenn Tilbrook and Chris Difford (“Silvertown Blues”).

The Ragpicker’s Dream, while not quite on par with its predecessor, offers more than a few amiable entries, among them the moody “A Place Where We Used to Live,” a jazzy folk ballad; the lilting, acoustic “Devil Baby”; and “Daddy’s Gone to Knoxville,” which features honky-tonk piano and country fiddle. This 2002 album is where Knopfler really takes a turn away from his Dire Straits days, focusing less on rock guitar and more on low-key, partially unplugged performances that emphasize lyrics, vocals and folk styles.

Knopfler continues further in this direction on 2004’s Shangri-La, which includes the catchy “Postcards from Paraguay,” and “5:15 a.m.,” a song that you could imagine Gordon Lightfoot covering. Finally, there’s 2007’s Kill to Get Crimson, which embraces such highlights as the sweet “True Love Will Never Fade,” the accordion-spiced “Secondary Waltz” and the nearly eight-minute album closer, “In the Sky,” which features Chris White’s atmospheric sax.

As for Gravy Train, the B-sides collection, you can see why at least a few of these nine tracks didn’t make it onto albums. But a few of them, including “Camerado” and “The Long Highway,” rate with the best of the LPs’ numbers. The relatively weak songs here and in the rest of this box set, meanwhile, suggest that even at its nadir, Knopfler’s music is pretty darn good.