Mark Knopfler
Down the Road Wherever

Mark Knopfler, in primis a disciple of J.J. Cale, poetically the direct descendant of Bob Dylan yet as intense as Clapton, has always had the Sword of Damocles hanging over his head due to his association with many other distinguished artists who have served as references for Knopfler. Although they were contemporaries in age, they had the ability and fortune to face the music market at a young age, whereas a rare prudence and perseverance led our artist to engage with an official discography at a mature age, brilliantly benefiting from the years of apprenticeship spent. Skill and awareness of his own means have always distinguished an unusual artistic path, imbued with a practical sense that allowed Knopfler to absorb styles and genres that suited him best, then reworked according to a personal instinct that only over the years helped him distance himself from the undeserved label of being just another imitator. His solo discography (which, of course, excludes the soundtracks) began with the commendable GOLDEN HEART, and saw the 2000s as witnesses to a steady musical production and related live promotional activity.

Just drop the needle on the vinyl or press play on the CD (both the black-holed disc and the aluminum disc, 13 tracks, albeit in a different order) of this latest work to realize that although only three years have passed since the excellent TRACKER (2015 – Mercury/Virgin Verve) and six since the masterpiece titled PRIVATEERING (2012 – Mercury/Universal), the stylistic consistency of the Scottish musician once again glides on the familiar tracks of a fluid and smooth narration, whose essential pillars are the drink at the source of compositional sincerity and the honesty of one's stories. Tracks where narrative flow prevails, intertwining irony and experience, and instruments have the duty to endemicly dress stories with a personal touch. A musical panorama that, while not evoking the endlessness of the cover image, can translate into notes the successful coexistence between an entirely English greyness and a star-spangled horizon without risking getting trapped in the web of already-heard clichés.

The images of a serious yet free Knopfler astride his motorcycle support “Good On You Son” which chosen as the album's forerunner, proves to be cleverly captivating, recreating a magical atmosphere where the guitar weaves a fine rhythmic and pleasant melodies embroidery, without hiding in the instrumental break the shadow of that “Boom Like That” which had illuminated SHANGRI-LA almost fifteen years before. While it's not necessary to mention every song on the album, it's worth highlighting that with the rhythmic “Back On The Dance Floor” with its surreal and dreamlike flavor enriched by the luminescent voice of the Irish Imelda May, the listening pleasure increases considerably, much like the rendition of “Just A Boy Away From Home” (for which Mark, by borrowing parts of “You'll Never Walk Alone,” once again relies on the formidable Rodgers and Hammerstein II duo, as he did with “The Carousel Waltz” for “Tunnel Of Love” in MAKING MOVIES in 1980!), which effortlessly stands as a clear example of how the blues seed learned by the guitarist has had the opportunity to blossom colorfully through dedication and practice since a young age. The piano-bar air of “When You Leave” suggests the presence of other soft and understated tracks capable of engaging like “My Bacon Roll” or “Floating Away” where the guitar melodies pair well with the piano that doesn't settle for a second-place role. Witnesses of a heterogeneous range of styles are the enticing “Nobody Does That” in which the funk vein of the most refined Stevie Wonder seems to take shape, just as the horn section of “Heavy Up” conveys more than a real sensation of hearing Jamaican breezes, while the energetic “The Trapper Man” confirms (if there was any doubt) that Knopfler is still capable of eliciting shivers down the spine with a virtually perfect solo.

In 2018, early fans of Mark would have been delighted to witness a healthy resurrection of the band of “Lady Writer” and “Romeo and Juliet,” either for the occurrence of the fortieth anniversary of the debut album or for the induction into the Rock’n’Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland in April, but unfortunately, nothing came of it. With the release of DTRW, Sir Mark Knopfler from Glasgow delivers to his loyal followers a product fully in line with his indispensable musical legacy, now a heritage of previous albums, once again revealing a greater inclination towards simple sounds that treasure tradition, occasionally sprinkling the nearly 80 minutes of music - in the deluxe version - with polite nods to a past that shines again only at concerts, while consistently offering the market a record of high quality and artistic inspiration, worthy of a true sultan of swing.