Mark Knopfler
Tracker

Considering the dizzying rise to success that the Dire Straits had embarked upon in their fifteen years of recording career, the evening of October 9, 1992 (the last date of the On Every Street Tour at the Romareda stadium in Zaragoza, Spain) would never have suggested a subsequent, different, and remarkable artistic path of its thoughtful and introverted leader.

For the admirers of Mark "Freuder" (middle name) Knopfler, the shelf that holds the six unforgettable studio albums of the DS, is in good company with the numerous soundtracks he composed (the highly successful "Local Hero" dates back to 1983) and is completed by the esteemed collaborations that saw him as a guest on well over a hundred albums!

Between the seductive pizzicato that made "Sultans Of Swing" extraordinary and the enticing craft of "Calling Elvis", Knopfler has created numerous pleasantly unique pieces, deploying a quality of writing that is bright and unusual. With the solo path, the guitarist favors an artistic journey aimed at expressing a more personal musical identity, streamlining the rhythmic peaks and virtuosity that characterized his early career. "Golden Heart" (1996) is an enjoyable debut, followed by albums characterized by only apparent softness ("The Ragpicker's Dream" - 2002 -) or even more intimate ("Shangri-La" of 2004), capable of further maturing the artist with what would follow shortly after ("Get Lucky" in 2009 and "Privateering" in 2012).

With "Tracker", one is led by the hand into the secluded and blissful Scottish reality, setting a musical path that, while traveling on the same coordinates as the excellent "Privateering", allows Knopfler to expand the contents that always align with predominantly relaxed atmospheres, without ever forcibly putting the foot (or the hand, speaking of an avid biker as well as a brilliant guitarist) on the accelerator, which would have guaranteed him greater visibility appreciated with eyes closed by young fans and loyalists.

"Laughs And Jokes And Drinks And Smokes" (where the Brubeck of "Take Five" can be easily breathed) merges the cultured jazz with the genuineness of traditional Scottish music, just as in "Skydiver", it is the delicacy of the slide guitar that emphasizes a melodic vein made in Liverpool, becoming one with the blues inclination of the entire track. The calmness of "River Towns" (the measured sax of Nigel Hitchcock fits well into the group sound), "Long Cool Girl" reflects an intimacy and a country charm that goes far beyond the description of the bewitching protagonist of the text. The beauty and honesty of the compositions are to be traced to that autobiographical side that Knopfler has tried to convey in his songs, but with exquisite lyrics and never cliched, allowing the listener a universal reading. It is therefore not difficult to consider as our real companions of travel in this listening, apart from the author, the poet of the magical harmonies of "Basil" (inspired by the fellow and famous poet Basil Bunting) or the exciting "Beryl" (dedicated to the writer Beryl Bainbridge) in which our wields a Stratocaster again capable of melodically and rhythmically awakening a wonderfully emotional sphere. It is evident how the years spent by young Freuder listening to J.J. Cale can relive anew and in their form in "Broken Bones", without sacrificing also a personal and fine compositional skill, bringing out echoes of Ireland in a track like "Mighty Man", where it is not difficult to detect familiarity with "Belfast Child" by the Simple Minds.

An album that, not foreseeing who knows what rhythmic swerves, does not lose quality even near the end, when it is possible to delight oneself, being lulled by the sweet atmosphere of "Silver Eagle" duly followed by "Lights Of Taormina", one of the most beautiful moments of poetry translated into music dedicated to one of the most evocative places in Italy that entered the heart of the artist, even before this piece does the same with the listeners. To conclude the evocative "Wherever I Go" (with Ruth Moody formerly with The Wailin' Jennys), gracefully country in its progress which Emmylou Harris would not have disdained in that gem of the genre titled "All The Roadrunning", which saw the Scottish guitarist and the Alabama singer together for the first time.

"Tracker" is a record where its author, rather than resting on the laurels of a glorious past, prefers to challenge himself with each new release, increasingly aware of having nothing to prove to anyone, but continuing to write songs with a highly refined personal touch where class and taste prevail, allowing us for the first time to appreciate him for his known simplicity, even on the cover of one of his albums ... too much grace ... all at once.