Mark Knopfler

Kill To Get Crimson opens with a latter-day Dylan sounding number ("True Love Will Never Fade") before a gentle flute introduces the lilting waltz and bittersweet narrative of "The Scaffolder's Wife." In the Scottish-tinged "Heart Full Of Holes," rich with wooden instruments that resonate with antique tones, Mark Knopfler unfolds a story with teddy-boy characters from bygone days while accordions and fiddles subtly recall pieces of Pogues songs. "Secondary Waltz" gets even more Celtic-sounding as Knopfler gives life to characters whose personalities carry a universal familiarity.

Along with occassional soundtracks and All the Roadrunning, his winning 2006
collaboration with Emmylou Harris, Kill to Get Crimson is Mark Knopfler's fifth solo album,
and it's a gem. Since the 1995 breakup of Dire Straits, Knopfler has dedicated himself to
making music that blends the deep resonance of traditional folk with the off-kilter edginess
he brought to his former group's most trenchant songs. Knopfler is best at deftly... More >