Music reviews: Mark Knopfler, Modest Mouse, Chilly Gonzales
Mark Knopfler's warm, gravelly voice and six-string blues twang on Tracker, his eighth solo album since his Dire Straits days, is instantly comforting.
Tracker
Virgin
Growing up in the 1980s, like most kids of that generation, I mostly detested my parents’ music. Of course I had far worse tastes of my own at that age, but there was always one song that united the family: Dire Straits’ Money for Nothing. The tumbling snare and tom tom intro giving way to that fierce electric riff from Mark Knopfler’s guitar always brought wide smiles and the family’s collection of air guitars.
Tracker is the former Straits frontman’s eighth solo album, and while the tunes may have mellowed, the warm, gravelly voice and sixstring blues twang is instantly comforting. The aptly titled Celtic folk opener, Laughs and Jokes and Drinks and Smokes, wouldn’t sound out of place if the 65-year-old were reciting its tale to good ol’ friends over a couple of pints of bitter.
The poetic storytelling throughout Tracker is told with a voice both wise and sincere. The guitars may not be as rousing as they were three decades ago, but the understated finger picking blends harmoniously with the soulful keys of long-time cohort Guy Cohort. This is far more roll than rock.
Strangers to Ourselves
Epic Records
