One Deep River＜限定盤/Colored Cassette＞

U.K. journeyman Mark Knopfler returns after a six-year gap with 2024s One Deep River, his tenth solo record. Since retiring Dire Straits in the mid-90s, his output as a singer/songwriter has remained remarkably consistent and uniquely his own. Within his refined roots rock melange is a multitude of layers; bits of blues, country, and funky R&B rub elbows with Celtic, jazz, folk, and the brand of smooth guitar rock he pioneered with his former band. He is his own establishment, reliable, and at this point in his career, comfortable. Like its predecessor, 2018s Down the Road Wherever, One Deep River doesnt necessarily break new ground for Knopfler, but it does add a clutch of well-written, impeccably played songs to his canon. The breezy, shuffling "Ahead of the Game" is an instant classic with a memorable riff and lyrics describing a road bands itinerant lifestyle: "it was nothing but the hits in a room downtown, theyre noisy as hell, but nice." These are the kind of smart slice-of-life lyrics Knopfler has built his career on and can still deliver with a craftsmans ease. He gets down and dirty on the rugged "Scavengers Yard" and wrestles with past regrets on the gentle "Watch Me Go." There are charismatic story songs detailing robberies ("Tunnel 13") and dusty boomtowns ("Janine"), but Knopfler is often at his best when he allows himself to be sentimental. The river referred to in the albums title (and pictured on its cover) is the Tyne, the major artery of Newcastle in Northeast England where he grew up. One Deep River closes with its poignant title track, a paean to an enduring landmark he has no doubt crossed countless times in a life well spent as a traveling musician. ~ Timothy Monger

かつてダイアー・ストレイツのリーダーだった男のソロ10作目。表題通りに悠然と静かに流れる河を思わせる懐深い作品集となっており、ボブ・ディラン風の濁声による呟き、そのディランも愛したギターのひなびた音色が渋く映えるアーシーで哀愁味満点の楽曲が並ぶ。ふとロイ・オービソンを思い出してしまう"Smart Money"での軽やかなノリもすこぶる心地良い。
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