Mark Knopfler - The Ragpickers Dream (2002)
I have always had the utmost respect for Mark Knopfler as a songwriter and musician ever since his days with The Dire Straits. So when Ragpickers Dream was released, I picked it up without ever hearing any of it. (Something I seldom do)
Bar none, it was the best money I have spent on music this year! The english language (and my limited vocabulary) doesn't have enough words to give Ragpickers Dream the praise it so justly deserves, but I'll give it my best shot here, and hope I don't screw it up.
The style and feel of much of Ragpickers Dream harkens back to mid twentieth century. In recent years, Knopfler has worked with, or been influenced by legendary artists like Waylon Jennings, Chet Atkins and Roger Miller.
The influence of these American icons is unmistakable in Ragpickers, and yet through this, Knopfler has maintained his UK roots, in the music and subject matter. As you weave your way through songs of empty hearts, shattered dreams or circus sideshows, you find one inescapable truth... the honesty and integrety in the music of Ragpickers Dream is beyond question.
Start to finish, the album will leave you breathless in it's beauty, touched by it's honesty, and lost in it's simplicity. I will go on record as saying this is the best album of 2002! If you can only purchase one CD this year, it must be Ragpickers Dream!
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