Mark Knopfler - Shangri-la (2004)
My immediate reaction upon hearing this album was "Oh my God, he's done it again!"
I have always loved and respected music that stimulates the imagination, that makes you think. After the masterpiece that was The Ragpickers Dream I really didn't know what to expect from this CD. The song that put it into perspective for me was "Everybody Pay's", which opens with the line "I got Shot off my horse, So What, I'm up again". It got me thinking 'is this in reference to his motor cycle accident'?
The first line in the song and you're thinking... Boom, Like That! That is Mark Knopflers greatest gift as a writer, his ability to take the heart and mind of the listener on a journey. Shangri-la is a journey, not only from a shattered motor cycle in England to a legendary studio in California, but the journey of life through the eye's of one of the worlds greatest songwriters.
The title track, "Our Shangri-la" is the jewel of this crown. A song of considerable beauty, it expesses a passion that is lost in modern music. It is impossible to listen to this song and not find your heart and mind drawn into the imagery of it.
The striking style of this album, a blending of British pop with middle American folk, makes Shangri-la a supremely enjoyable listen. Shangri-la is lyrically strong, prefectly performed, and flawlessly produced, to capture the vision of the artist.
The best album of 2004, bar None! Mark Knopflers "Shangri-la" is a must have!
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