We have a surprise contender entering the Album of the Year competition for 2009. Welcome again to the Big Boy Table™, Mark Knopfler. I don't know why it should be a surprise – least of all to me – but "surprise" is just one of many superlatives to heap upon Get Lucky.
What makes it such a surprise? Has he drastically changed his style or sound? No. He continues to mine familiar sonic ground with folk, Celtic, blues, country, and Americana elements quilted together to form the recognizable tapestry of a Mark Knopfler record. What makes Knopfler stand out is the way he weaves these elements together. There are scores of bands who do acoustic folk and Celtic folk and countless more who play around with blues and country. But no one synthesizes these elements quite the way he does.
The trouble for Knopfler is that he's been doing that so well and so consistently ever since parting with his more famous band, Dire Straits, and has never written anything remotely pop or radio friendly while on his own. Careful listens to his solo records reveal he has been a consistent craftsman of impeccable taste and skill. That consistency can be misinterpreted and used against an artist. Albums can be difficult to distinguish when similar blueprints are adhered to and the quality rarely waivers.
What separates Get Lucky is the quality of his ideas. He continues to blend these same musical elements in his unique style and filters them through his musical past. When an artist gets self-referential, they run the risk of becoming a self-parody. Sharp, vivid lyrics and fully realized compositions combine with outstanding contributions from his collaborators, creating an album that stands tall among his career accomplishments.
Get Lucky finds Knopfler in a contemplative, reflective place. In the liner notes, he provides some commentary and background for several songs. These songs are filled not only with the warmth of familiar sounds but the bonds of family and the memories of childhood. "The Car Was The One" was inspired in part by racer Mark Donohue. Knopfler found a kindred spirit in the late driver. Donohue's passion to race as expressed in his autobiography reminded Knopfler of his own drive as a young man to be in a rock band. Musically, "Car" has shades of "The Fizzy And The Still" from his previous record Kill To Get Crimson.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - MarkSaleski
we're in total agreement here josh (how often does that happen?!!!). this is one terrific album.
2 - Josh Hathaway
Warn a fella before you say something like that. Heart attacks have been induced by less. :-)
3 - Peder B
This is very well written, and your comments are spot on! Norwegian newspaper critics focus on how they believe this album is very "not surprising" from Knopfler, and that they've heard this before, and so on. Such shallow vision (hearing?) makes me feel sad! This album is great, and as you note, a timeless record, along most of his previous albums!
4 - ChiantiM
Wow - Gave this CD a try from the FYE listening station; within 3 songs I was sold. Some of the most introspective songwriting this year. Kudos to Mark Knopfler
5 - Josh Hathaway
I got to highlight a few of my favorite tracks but this is a great album, stacked from top to bottom. Glad to hear others have been enjoying this one as well. I think I'll buy a few extra copies and pass them around as gifts this fall. Brilliant.
6 - Fitz
I loved Kill to Get Crimson, but now I have to pick up Get Lucky... Dang great artists and their good reviews. :) Thanks Josh!
7 - Josh Hathaway
I appreciate that, Fitz. Yes, anyone who has ever liked a Knopfler solo record is politely commanded not to sit this one out. If you liked Crimson, you'll love this. I like Crimson a lot but this one is even better. You won't be sorry.
8 - AlexB
Excellent review Josh. Spot on. I'm a huge Knopfler fan and I was completely surprise with the difference between this record and the others. As you say, it is not all that different from the other records but man is it different from the others. Do you have a favorite song yet?
9 - 11
Gorgerous record and an excellent review. Two fine writers at the top their game.
10 - Tom Johnson
Gotta agree, this is a winner. I'm still not totally warm to Kill To Get Crimson, which I think is just a bit bland, but this one picks up the best elements and pulls great stuff from the rest of his catalog.
But, man, am I chapped at seeing yet another absolutely, completely, totally, ass-reamingly ridiculous "super deluxe edition" that packs relatively little "deluxe" in order to extract a HUGE amount of money out of the fans. Knopfler's set is something like $180 and you get a vinyl version of the album plus 3 bonus songs on CD, in addition to the DVD that comes with the "merely deluxe edition." That's a bunch of crap. I await the moment I find those tracks in FLAC to download. Won't feel in the slightest bit guilty.
11 - Josh Hathaway
Yeah, this is one of the poorer deluxe boxes I've seen for the price. Entirely ridiculous. I'm very happy with the record itself, though. Just aces.
12 - El Bicho
Album of the Year?? He better change his name to F--k Knopler.
13 - Josh Hathaway
I'm not calling the race over in mid-September but yes, this is a clear contender for Album of the Year. A F--k by any other name sounds as sweet.
14 - Beachcomber
This is not a great album. A little of this and a little of that and none of it very good. The Americana is better than the Celtic Folk where his voice and lyrics intrude on the music. There are many far better exponents of Celtic Folk. Musically it is vastly inferior to both Shangri La and All That Roadrunning which is among my favourites. It's unlikely that I will listen to more than three tracks on a regular basis.
15 - tjphoto
I appreciate Josh's kind and articulate words about Mark Knopfler, an under-appreciated talent in today's mostly shoddy musical marketplace. I'm a huge MK fan, more for his solo work than the Dire Straits past, but my early take on this album is that it's his weakest overall. Josh points to the referencing in these songs to earlier MK songs, but I think it's more than that. Too many seem like knockoffs of previous riffs and stylings, and the guitar-playing is mostly lacking in distinction from a player as extraordinary as MK. There are some personal and quite nostalgic elements here, as we've seen in some previous Knopfler songs, and some are very affecting as in the title song. But I also hear some sentimentality, some rather sappy pop touches and too little inspiration in the playing. Knopfler has always done it his way, but that has pros and cons. I'd love to praise this release, and it's still early in my listening so I could find more to like in time, but I don't think I'll come to the conclusion that it ranks with his best. Many of his previous releases deserved Album of the Year ranking, but this one seems a fall-off to me.
16 - Chas SE25
Think this latest album is one of his best. I was pretty disappointed with Kill to Get Crimson, apart from one outstanding track (punish the monkey). This is definitely a return to form!
17 - Dan radu
Marks' albums always creep up you. I'll listen to it the first time and think its decent - and then upon repeated listenings you realize it's brilliant.
18 - Jim H.
I've listened to this CD now about 10 times. Like all of MK's work, the more you listen, the more you realize just how good the work is. My personal favorite(s) solo was either Shangri-La or Sailing to Philidelphia. After listening to this one...I'd have to rank it at least right with those 2 and maybe above them. MK is getting better with age. He's gifted both as a songwriter and player. This one is a 10 in my book, just hope I get to see him live again this year in the states.
19 - Josh Hathaway
Thanks to everyone who has been commenting on this. You're right, Dan, that his albums are filled with subtlety and nuance and can sneak up on you. This one grabbed me instantly and has rewarded me more and more with each listen. Some of his took more work but ultimately paid off.
Jim, I love both of the records you mention. What strikes me about Lucky is that every song works. With those two, there are some clearly brilliant songs but also a couple that feel more like filler. There is no filler here. I'm really depressed that no Southern tour dates have been announced. I saw him in Nashville on the Crimson tour and I really want to see him again this time out.
20 - bob
great c.d. but i was dissapointed that names of musicians involved and words to the songs were not printed.
21 - tjphoto
Addendum to my previous note...I strongly recommend MK aficionados get their hands on the so-called bonus tracks, "Early Bird" and "Time in the Sun" which are downloadable on Amazon and elsewhere. I can see why they weren't included in the mainstream CD package, with their stylistic differences from the rest of the list, but frankly they're much superior to "Piper to the End," for one and would have been a nice change of pace in the GL collection. I especially like "Early Bird" with its tasty guitar runs and acerbic lyrics, harking back to earlier MK critiques like "Heavy Fuel" and "El Macho".
22 - kevin cramsey
I'm just preparing to delve into the entire CD. So far it's been hard for me to get past "Monteleone." What a beautiful song. As a guitarist myself for over 30 years, this song really moves me by the heart it shows for people who feel a spiritual connection to the instruments they play and, in this case, mandolins and guitars that they make with their own hands. There's a great little video clip on You Tube of Knopfler talking about and performing this song, from a performance in mid September. Check it out.
23 - 123mark
KTGC was a wonderful, in the present moment collection of songs. GL is from an entirely different perspective; MK is looking back as if from some other place. More often than not that place sounds a lot like heaven. He celebrates the broken and the beautiful; he knows his subjects are not just beautiful despite their brokenness--they are beautiful because they are broken. This is a call to remember, and sadly at times it sounds like a fond farewell. This is a classy effort, and MK should be proud of the results. He honors his unlikely heros, and in the process becomes a hero himself. MK is the master of finding the glorious in the ordinary, and like all masters he makes the near impossible seem effortless. Cheers.
24 - markflynn
As a fan who has been totally engrossed with Mark Knopfler and his music since seeing him at the world famous (and long departed) Austin Armadillo in the late 70's, I am extremely disappointed in this his most recent and probably most personal recording to date. The lyrics - of course the lyrics - are brilliant. His songs are always well crafted from that standpoint and they always seem to reveal new and undiscovered treasures the more you listen to them. But it kills me to say this - I gotta agree with tjphoto. I married a Yorkshire girl 25 years ago who saw Knopfler in Leeds before I knew her and what has captured and has held her and me since discovering this incomparable singer/songwriter is his SOUND. Knopfler is as distinctive as ANY guitarist who ever picked up an axe (a la SRV) and there are just too few tracts on "Get Lucky" that provide that fix that I NEED and EXPECT when having waited all this time for the album to be released. It's almost, for some reason, that Knopfler is adverse to showing off his chops as he involves all the other terrific musicians around him. But the strings, horns, etc......well ok as long as Mark bends a few chords on whatever box he wants to immortalize. Please, Mark if you happen to read this please, please much more "What It Is" and much less "Hard Shoulder" on your next release. A heartfelt request of the greatest guitarist from his greatest fan.
25 - Mike Lewis
What is wrong with you guys?
This is a DREADFUL album, tuneless,lazy, boring, and unimaginative, I gave my copy to my brother. (I don't like him either)