David Knopfler
Release

How should it feel to share a last name with a sibling by blood who not only works in your same field, but plays in your same band, capturing entirely the image of the music you produce together, receiving praise and admiration while you only appear among the names in the album credits? Alex van Halen of Van Halen can answer, or even more so in this case, David Knopfler, who along with the immensely more famous Mark founded the Dire Straits in the latter half of the seventies and played on the first two albums before leaving what would soon become one of the most well-known and economically profitable groups in the music scene to follow an ignored solo career.

Listening to his statements, little David fully achieved his goal: he decided to leave the Dire Straits when the band’s music leaned more towards a chart sound, he who hated the spotlight and preferred his music to remain a niche product to be listened to and that's it, without magazine covers or demonic star-chasing journalists. Admirable, but the reasons for such a choice can also, and more likely, be found in the submission that David suffered within the band from his brother, who wanted to and managed to be the one and only creative mind behind the music produced by the Dire Straits, with the other members relegated to mere executors of his creations; songs written by David were systematically discarded, and Mark would personally re-record the rhythm guitar parts initially assigned to his little brother, after which David made the understandable and courageous decision to try on his own to prove his worth.

So, with some water under the bridge and a group of skilled musicians put together, in 1983 he released his solo debut, which went under the radar in the large music market like all his subsequent works; and to say that David Knopfler has always produced plenty of good material, to date releasing about a dozen albums of originals not counting numerous collaborations and soundtracks. This "Release" shows a small artist, yet one eager for recognition from the masses, which would come more out of compassion than recognized personal merits. The songs flow nicely, without ever truly leaving a mark, but are appreciated for their simplicity, they are smooth, never annoying, and enjoy valuable arrangements with a distinctly 80s sound rich in guitars, keyboards, and sometimes saxophones: "Roman Times" and the delicate final ballad "The Great Divide" are there to prove that even David, the other Knopfler, can have his say. The vocal style used in most of the ten tracks on this record is still very close to the dry and rough style of his brother Mark on the first two Dire Straits albums (see "Little Brother" or "Night Train"), leading one to think that much of the material here may come from all those discarded pieces belonging to David’s recent past. Apart from the evident musical imprint, however, there are two real members of the Dire Straits who participate in the making of this album: the bassist John Illsey takes part in the opening track "Soul Kissing", an engaging and refined pop-rock piece, while (believe it or not!) the big brother appears in "Madonna's Daughter"; the famous Knopfler has just released the immense "Love Over Gold", is producing Bob Dylan's "Infields" and working on the soundtrack for "Local Hero", yet he decides to lend a hand to his own flesh and blood by playing rhythm guitar in a track they will also perform together as guests at the Sanremo Festival, and honestly, the difference is noticeable. This episode might suggest a happy ending in the story of the feuding brothers, but it will remain an isolated incident, with the two destined to drift further apart over the years.

Just to clear any doubt, let's be clear: Mark Knopfler deserved to be on the front page and David Knopfler on the second, this is indisputable, but the market laws that govern art and distribute roles have decided a position for David that is far too dismissive, not just the second page but the fifth or sixth, and if only show business had given him a little more money he would probably pay to not be compared each time to Mark, to the Dire Straits, and thus fall back into the shadow under which he has always lived, he would just want to make records that are listened to and appreciated, or criticized, without the references that naturally come to mind. However, for this first work, fresh from his divorce and still imbued with the sound he wanted for his now ex-band, the comparison is inevitable.

David Knopfler is like this record: it will never leave a mark, but it is a pleasant acquaintance to meet from time to time, you do not expect anything revolutionary from him, and perhaps because of this, he hardly disappoints.