Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)This CD will take you time to appreciate. At first listen I thought "elevator music" -- rock so light it isn't rock. It takes a while to appreciate the subtleties and the quiet, quiet songs. (The reviewer who said this was Knopfler's most rocking effort since Dire Straits days obviously had never heard the CD. The only semi-rocking song is "Boom like That")
The CD also lacks the variety of recent Knopfler efforts. Gone are the Celtic, Country, Cajun, and Folk tunes that dotted his other CDs. Instead, "Shangri-la" is just six guys -- two guitars, a bass, a piano, an organ, and drums, sitting around playing relaxed songs. The CD gets my top rating for good lyrics, interesting tunes, virtuoso instrumentation, perfectionist fussiness, and Knopfler's voice, which sounds a little smoother with age than his usual Dylanesque gruffness. It's not a CD that inspires superlatives, and none of the songs will likely go to the top of the hit parade, but they're good -- every one of them. Some of them even have a little bit of a surf sound, reflecting perhaps the fact that the CD was recorded in California
Still, I can appreciate the opinion of those who say "Shangri-la" is boring. I yearn for one of Knopfler's great guitar solos like the screamers on "Telegraph Road," the chugging "Sultans of Swing," or the smoky country blues of "You and your Friend." No such luck. Are Knopfler's rocking days over? I guess we'll have to be content with what we get.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Shangri La (CD & DVD Audio)
The fourth solo excursion from acclaimed singer-songwriter-guitarist Mark Knopfler, Shangri-La is perhaps his most rocking album since his halcyon days in Dire Straits. Knopfler offers an idyllic earthly refuge for the sophisticated rock fan with Shangri-La, originally issued in September 2004 and presented here in a special CD+DVDA package.
Click here for more information about Shangri La (CD & DVD Audio)
0 comments:
Post a Comment