Album Review: Mark Knopfler, One Deep River

This is former ex-Dire Straits man Mark Knopfler’s 10th solo album, produced in his London studio with Guy Fletcher. Lyrically, it again reveals Knopfler’s ability to paint pictures and tell stories. Sonically, it has oodles of his trademark brittle guitar style, plus a dollop of English blues and country-folk.

‘Two Pairs Of Hands’ and its truckin’ banjo sets the JJ Cale-ish pace, with Knopfler singing about the pressures of keepin’ on. ‘Ahead Of The Game’ moves at a more sluggish pace, then takes on a nimble country feel, as the singer reflects nostalgically on earlier musical struggles. A choppy rhythm underpins ‘Scavengers Yard’, which also spares some space for typical MK soloing.

Fletcher’s brooding keyboard sets the mood for ‘Janine’, a pensive song about a disconnected love, despair dripping from lead vocal and guitar. ‘This One’s Not Going to End Well’, meanwhile, is a portentous effort, with John McCusker’s fiddle adding some nice sparkle.

The album’s title confirms the sense of this as a downer experience, albeit buoyed by the narrator’s determination to battle on. Production-wise, it blends the old school feel of a band playing together with modern flourishes. Despite the acclaim and the millions of albums sold, Knopfler sounds like a man caring enough to be affected by whatever life throws in his path.

8/10

Read our interview with Mark Knopfler in the current issue of Hot Press – out now: