y the time of 2004's Shangri-La, Mark Knopfler had almost entirely left behind the expansive instrumental textures of Dire Straits, his former band, in favor of a more straight-ahead singer/songwriter approach, which works wonderfully here. Knopfler keeps things low-key throughout, with quietly intoned, often drolly sardonic lyrics, supple fingerpicked guitar lines, and songs full of subtly crafted surprises. There's a wealth of unusual topics on offer here; "Boom, Like That" is a first-person monologue by Knopfler in the voice of Ray Kroc, the man behind McDonald's. The bluesy "Song for Sonny Liston" chronicles the famed boxer's brushes with the underworld, while "Donegan's Gone" laments the passing of British folk/skiffle pioneer Lonnie Donegan. Shangri-La more fully develops the detailed, irony-laced songwriting style first hinted at on Dire Straits' "Money for Nothing." ~ Jim Allen|
Rovi