Tracks from acclaimed singer/songwriter/guitarist Mark Knopfler's most rocking album since his halcyon days in Dire Straits are rock solid on the EP Live From Shangri-La.
Taking "Rudiger" from his '96 solo debut and seven core tracks from his savory, thematically eclectic '04 collection, Shangri-La, Knopfler returned to the Malibu studio of the same name to forge these more focused, nigh-perfect live renditions with his bandmates. The intimate setting offers added poignancy to "The Trawlerman's Song" and casts "Back to Tupelo" in bluesier, more supple tones, while "Song For Sonny Liston" bristles with grittier energy. Fans of Knopfler's fluid, expressive guitar technique will find much to admire as well, from the sprightly, country-fied chicken-pickin' of "Donegan's Gone" to the tasteful, economic soloing on "Boom, Like That" and "Everybody Pays"…
Gotthard are back with yet another album, Need to Believe. The Swiss hard-rock band has released a string of
Number 1 albums lately, and Need to Believe looks all set to follow in that trend. It is an enervating mix of big fist-
pumping anthems and harder, darker stories. Who ever said that the Swiss never created anything great?
To commemorate the 25th anniversary of Mark’s debut solo release Golden Heart in 1996, a new box set, Mark Knopfler - The Studio Albums 1996-2007, will be released on 1st October Worldwide, and 10th December in the US.
Gathering his first five post-Dire Straits solo albums (not counting film scores), and a bonus disc of B-sides titled The Gravy Train, this collection is as sleepy and nonchalant as an old friend’s affable shrug. Knopfler does what he does, blending folk, blues, country and rock into a tension-free take on Americana that’s faintly personal but more about delivering a carpet atmosphere of reflective rumination.
The audio of each album has been newly remastered by Miles Showell at Abbey Road Studios in London.