Down The Road Wherever

Inevitably music reviews provide very personal opinions - with which there will always be disagreement! However, I would be surprised if lifelong MK fans have too much to complain about here. (And newcomers will not fail to be impressed if they give the album a good hearing.) The more I listen, the more I appreciate the quality, sheer musicality, and clever lyrics - not to mention the superb arrangements and virtuosity of the band. This is another superb album in my opinion. Try "Heavy Up" for an unexpected Knopfler number or "Every Heart In The Room" for a chilled experience. For me, "My Bacon Roll" sums up much of today's workplace - brilliant. You will not be disappointed with the guitar work on any of the tracks, but listen out particularly for "Matchstick Man" and the unusual "Just A Boy Away From Home". If I had to choose a favourite track it would probably be the one that has the album's title in its lyrics.I can't wait to see this unassuming, but peerless, artist with his band in 2019.

I often wonder, when I buy another Mark Knopfler album, whether I'll be disappointed that he's got stale, or lazy, much the same as book authers who have become so wealthy that they needn't write any more books, and shouldn't because they've used up all their ideas. So yet again I'm delighted this album is entertaining enough to listen to, maybe taking a few passes before it's then good enough to join my 'driving to' library. It is my opinion, but he's done it again, and it seems so effortless to him.

Having been put off buying this album by those negative reviews, I have bought most of Mr. Knopflers other recordings before this one, and have therefore inadvertently saved one of his best till last. I have to wonder what those reviewers were listening to...

I love the sound on this album. So many fine guitar parts, the vocals are really emotive and the arrangements are pretty much perfect. But it just seems that lyrically there is too much thought given to evoking the working man, who becomes a little one dimensional. Looking at things from a worms eye view gets predictable after a while…

Mark Knopfler is a musical genius. This new album sees him once again explore human life in its mundane nature and each song is a little vignette. The pleasure that Mark's albums have given me over the years is immense.This album is beautifully crafted , played with real feeling and there is not a weak song on here.I like the increased use of solo brass and the mute trumpet on When you Leave is haunting.Just love this album . His voice and guitar playing seem to be getting better as the years go on. For lovers of REAL music played by wonderful musicians this is a must buy. 5 stars without hesitation.

This man is a genius! His music is phenomenal! All his albums are beautifully crafted and marvellously melodic while at the same time providing lots of variety, with lots of little nuggets for all his fans to fall in love with all over again. This one is no exception and it’s hard not to play it over and over again because I’m missing it already!!I love it!

Arrived within the estimated delivery time. The album itself is, as I expected brilliant. I bought it for my wife and she's over the moon with it. All together, definitely 5 stars all round.

I’ve been buying Mark Knopfler’s music from when it was Dire Straits’ music.He is a great songwriter and musician, but I’m afraid this is the worst album he’s made. I love all his other albums, but out of 16 songs on this album, there are only two or three I like.

Ignore the naysayers. This is a superb followup to Shangri-La, with all the Knopfler nuance and originality of the Knopfler sound that only he can produce. This is music to really listen to.

Alles bestens, gerne wieder.

Chegou em perfeito estado, pelo preço bem que poderia vir com caixa plástica ao invés de digipack.

Es un disco clásico del músico que él esUna prueba de su genialidad como compositor

It’s hard to believe but Mark Knopfler has been cranking out great music for almost 40 years now and he is pushing 70 years of age. He continues to grow as an artist and his output now is as good as it was in his heyday (maybe even better). I always have great anticipation whenever he releases a new album. I’m at the point now where I can purchase his new albums “sight unseen” or should I say “sound unheard”. He never disappoints and I can trust he will always deliver great music. There are always countless gems buried within each album. “Down the Road Wherever” is no exception. I think he has taken a different direction with this release. His trademark celtic/country sounds are almost non-existent on this record. Instead we have a collection of smooth, soft rock, funky, sometimes jazz flavoured tunes. There is a good dose of horns in some songs along with Knopfler’s usual understated guitar & vocals throughout. It’s a more upbeat and happy album than some prior releases.One of my favorites is the single “Back on the Dance Floor” and the best song on the album has to be "One Song At a Time". It's a nostalgic look back at Knopfler's days in Deptford when he was a struggling musician. This song ranks as one of his all time best right up there with "The Sultans of Swing". Other stand out tracks are the jazzy “Nobody Does That”, the haunting “Drover’s Road”, the clever “Bacon Roll”, the moving “When You Leave” & the upbeat “Rear View Mirror". But most of the songs have merit & there is not a weak one in the bunch. As with any MK album, its gets better and better the more you listen to it. To get the full impact you have to listen to it more than once or twice.I would like to point out that the lyrics of the songs are interesting as always. I don’t usually pay much attention to lyrics but Knopfler’s are always so original and incorporate very interesting, unique and archaic words that are not used very often in our modern age. And, some of the ancient English words and phrases on this album are thought provoking & require some research to understand their full meaning. And as a result I always learn something new in the process. It is a linguistic voyage of discovery. Some of the new and interesting words I had to look up on this album were “motherlode”, “drover”, “hinterlands”, “cordite”, “backie”, “thistledown” & “malarkey”.As always his music is a refreshing change from the annoying & depressing noise we hear from today’s artists. Unfortunatey, I have read a few negative reviews claiming the album is disappointing, dull & boring. I don't know what these people are listening to and I don't think they are genuine Mark Knopfler fans. So I would discount their views. It’s sad but most people have forgotten what real music is. This is real music..