New Mark Knopfler Album 2024 - One Deep River (2024)

He says in interviews - already did this in 2019 - that his focus on songwriting has impacted his guitar playing, as he's been neglecting the electric guitar as a lead instrument.

Hard one... but I think I have to go with Brothers in Arms.
Maybe because it's so connected with my youth in the eighties

It's interesting, the range of opinions on his solo stuff - some love this one and dislike the other, someone else will feel the opposite, some will say "they all sound the same" - which they kind of do, and yet they're all quite different in their own way.

It's also interesting, the first six (seven if you count All The Roundrunning) were basically single albums, with 12-14 songs, a little over an hour each; then from Privateering on, they've been double albums (Privateering literally, with 24 songs almost two hours) if you throw in all the bonus tracks (Tracker 18, 90 minutes, DTRW, 21, 1:45 if you throw in the two outtakes they released after the fact).

As much as I loved "What It Is" (and "Down To The Waterline," etc., for that matter) I'm glad that he's aged gracefully, as has his music. It sounds honest and authentic, unlike, say, his fellow Englishmen on their latest album, trying so hard to sound "modern" and "edgy" ("You think I'm you're bitch, I'm ****ing with your brain, yeah," from "Bite My Head Off").

If you appreciate anything Sting did after The Police, I would say Mark even offers more so after Dire Straits. Mark has been solo now for 30+ years and he consistently churns out long winded albums with 15-20 recorded tracks that taken collectively, are fantastic. Sure he misfires on occasion, and I don't care for the style of a song here and there, but the albums are some of my favorites in the last 30 years. He is also not out to prove anything and honestly sounds tired of hearing about how he should get Dire Straits back together.

If you are holding on to the 55 Dire Straits tunes as the only thing worthwhile and can't appreciate his other solo albums, I am not really sure why you liked Dire Straits in the first place. He has made lots of music since then and I think it has aged nicer than a fine wine.

The ONLY frustrating thing about a new Knopfler album is trying to get all the songs which usually takes multiple formats and quite an investment.

Shangri-La was one of those records that I immediately played a second time straight through. Then, for me, Kill To Get Crimson was an incredible let down. It felt very phoned in and mediocre. About that time I saw him in concert twice, and those performances also felt very phoned in. So I stopped following him closely. It felt to me like he was rewriting the same four songs over and over.

That all changed when I saw the Tracker Tour live in 2015. It was freaking amazing. That got me interested in him again. The song Privateering is a masterpiece. I've since come to like quite a lot of Get Lucky as well. I feel like the last two releases have a really nice range to them. It no longer feels like he's rewriting the same songs over and over. I'm very happy for him, and I'm very happy to be a fan of his music at this juncture.

If you like the Dire Straits of the later albums, Brothers in Arms and On Every Street, I’m sure you’ll enjoy One Deep River.

Well, none of his solo albums are obviously going to connect with your youth in the eighties, and none of them really have the big pop sensibilities of some of the hits on Brothers in Arms, but I think you might find a common feel to some of the more melodic tracks (“Why Worry,” “Your Latest Trick”) in Sailing to Philadelphia and Golden Heart.

It’s worth noting that Dire Straits was a Knopfler solo project. He wrote all the songs and the band did what he told them to do.

From “Dire Straits” to “One Deep River”, it’s all Mark Knopfler.

I’ve been a much bigger fan of his solo work than a lot of DS releases. That said, this is the first solo release I’m not going to buy. I’m just a little tired of his work at this point and streaming some of the new cuts just confirms my feelings at this point. I wish he wasn’t so risk averse as I want to believe he could push himself ( even at this age) to be more adventurous. For example , that “dance floor” titled (can’t remember name)disco like song on the last album was such a wonderful surprise.

Whatever the level of creative input from other band members the music he released as Dire Straits is generally pretty different than the music he’s released as Mark Knopfler.

It's ALL the different stages and stylings of Mark Knopfler. The Dire Straits is not like the Rolling Stones, Eagles, the Beetles or the Grateful Dead (etc) in which there were numerous contributors. Mark wrote everything, for every album (except the collaborations). For all intensive purposes, One Deep River is a Dire Straits album. Every MK solo album is just a continuation of the creative unfoldment of the Dire Straits, aka Mark Knopfler.

He is a prolific song writer. And hands down the best singer/songwriter/guitarist in the history of recorded music. No one else comes close when doing that trifecta.

intents and purposes

But yeah +1

I also think Bruce Springsteen might give MK a run for his money in the trifecta. Arguably as good a songwriter and very prolific, probably overall a better vocalist with more range of emotion, but not as good a guitarist. Although, Bruce takes a LOT of the solos live (all of them in 1982 when I saw The River tour, which shocked me, but he did a damned fine job and Miami Steve was MIA in the lead guitar department). FWIW, I'm not really a huge Springsteen fan. But give him his due.

Again, so interesting to me how wildly divergent people (who, in one way or another, really dig MK) can view his various albums...to me, Sangri-La is a bit blah (aside from three of the first four and "Postcards From Paraguay") and a big letdown from Ragpicker's Dream, whereas Kill To Get Crimson is one of his best! So consistent (zero cringe-inducing duds like every other one of his solo albums, not to mention the last few DS albums), so heartfelt, such great songs with great lyrics from start to finish (though, yes, "In The Sky" does start to drag, really didn't need to be 7:31!)

Whatever, to each his/her/their own...I just got my ODR deluxe CD in the mail this afternoon, haven't spun it yet but looking forward to it!

So true. And my relationship to his music continues to evolve. DS "Love Over Gold" was another of his records that, after listening the first time, I immediately played it again in its entirety. Now? I can scarcely listen to it. So overwrought and histrionic. In fact, DS ST is the only DS record I like in its entirety. Such a rich and rewarding artist. I'm considering revisiting his entire catalog. And he is hands down my favorite recording artist... and a personal influence as an electric guitarist. Man, it's tough to be as economical as MK when soloing. Perhaps only David Gilmour is as skillful at crafting a narrative with his solos.

There was such a change from On Every Street to Golden Heart that I can’t agree it was a continuation.More like a new start.
As for the second paragraph I completely disagree and I’m a big fan of all stages of Mark’s career.A bit depends on what weighting you give each of those 3 different skills but however you do it Neil Young has him completely covered “hands down “.Even if you are going to heavily weight the guitar part Jerry Garcia was way ahead of him there and also as a vocalist.Someone mentioned Bruce and he is way ahead in 2 of the 3 and an excellent guitarist.Then there are people from later generations like Jeff Tweedy and Jack White that would also be in the conversation.

But I think Mark is intentionally more eclectic as a solo artist than he ever would have been within the context of the band. So there is a difference, not just a continuation.

I saw the 2019 tour. Yeah, it was obvious that he had offloaded a lot of the lead guitar duties to other players. He seemed incapable of sustaining a long narrative. Most of his solos were trading 4s or 8s with other players on stage. But still, it was freaking MK on stage. And I knew it would be the last time I would experience that. I wept at times.

I know someone who knows (pianist) Jim Cox. Apparently, MK invited all the spouses/partners to come along and payed for top flight accommodations whenever possible. A great send off to his band, many of which had been with him for over a decade.

Sorry. I can't agree with any of that. But then again, I actually know how to play guitar... so Neil Young, Jack White barely move the needle for me. Jeff Tweedy bores the hell outta me. Songwriting? Yeah, Neil is prolific mainly because he releases everything, whether it ought to see the light of day, or not. MK is far more selective.

The key is the trifecta of songwriting (both music and lyric), singer, and guitarist (instrument skill). MK runs circles around Bruce as a guitarist, it's not close. I'd rate them equal on the other two fronts. For me, the entire MK/Dire Straits library is simply better music than Bruce Springsteen, although Bruce is certainly great. MK is an exceptional guitarist.

Again, the trifecta. Neil Young is not remotely in the same league as MK as a guitarist. About equal in terms of vocalist and songwriting.

I'm a long time Deadhead. Jerry didn't write a single lyric, which automatically disqualifies him from the trifecta, and the Dead were very much a collaboration across the board.

Lyle Lovett is a great songwriter and signer, but mediocre guitarist. Same for Paul Simon who's various band members had chops, but not Paul. Elton John didn't write a lyric. Who's left who literally does it "all" the way Mark Knopfler has for 40 odd years?

Jack White? C'mon now, this is a serious conversation

I'm not all that familiar with Wilco lyric credits, but did Jeff Tweedy write all of their songs? To qualify for the trifecta, gotta write them all or the vast majority. And once again, MK in a different league as a guitarist.

Maybe Eric Clapton?? Peter Frampton? But neither a prolific songwriter.

There are better guitarists, better songwriters, and better singers than Mark Knopfler. But who does all three better than him as a whole?

The guitar gods can't write lyrics. The best lyricist gave up singing in key decades ago (Dylan). And the best singers can at best manage only one other strong skill.

Mark Knopfler. The one ring to rule them all

Did it ever occur to you that Mark is musically covering all his bases? If we like his albums, fine. If not, fine. It's only important to him if he likes them, and he no doubt does.

I’m glad you can play guitar but if Neil Young and Old Black “barely move the needle “ for you then you have my sympathy.
With Neil I’m not talking about prolific.If you lined up the top 50 Neil songs against the top 50 Mark songs it would be no contest.

I missed the obvious comparison which is Richard Thompson
-Much better guitar player than Mark
-A ridiculously higher level as a songwriter
-Equivalent as a vocalist
As I said at the start of this discussion I am a big Knopfler fan and have every album both DS and solo.I like them all but don’t think he has made any top tier album by his own standards since All The Roadrunning and his solo albums to that point are consistently excellent.
The final point is that his reputation as a guitarist is built on those Dire Straits albums.The solo albums have a lot of tasty playing but nothing that is jaw dropping.The more restrained styles of music don’t explain that entirely as Marc Ribot for instance is jaw dropping brilliant playing on albums in similar genres.

MK’s style of guitar playing brings to mind George Harrison. You know, solo lines with a minimum of notes. It’s the feel those passages evoke which matter most. Any display of technical versatility comes in second.

Oh my, I find Richard Thompson's voice to be almost unlistenable, and his songs/ albums genuinely obscure in comparison to MK's. Setting aside Dylan, I think of Richard as like being the top a coffee shop folk crooner can achieve . Of course, this is all subjective and my opinion is no more right or wrong than yours.

I think you dramatically underestimate MK's guitar skills, they are top notch and matched by few. I've never heard of Richard Thompson being spoken of in the same guitar class as MK. But if Richard Thompson is your grand prize trifecta winner, I'm sure he'll be pleased with the news!

Sting is another possibility. He has been prolific. I'm unsure how to evaluate Sting's instrument skill. They seem at least adequate, but adequate is not enough to dethrone the King.