Amazon.co.uk Review
Shangri-La sees the sweatband-loving Knopfler team up once again with producer Chuck Ainlay for a sturdy celebration of Americana through country and the blues with a dash of easy listening thrown in. The overall sound is laid back with only the electric blues of "Song for Sonny Listen" providing a bit of a crunch. For the most part Knopfler sounds heavily influenced by troubadour JJ Cale and none more so than on "Boom, Like That", a groove driven country honk with soft, lazy vocals. Renowned for not taking things too seriously, many of the lyrics are comical in their narrative such as "I stuck a couple of air-craft carriers up his ass" on the mariachi backed "Don't Crash the Ambulance", a tongue in cheek song set around the Mexican border.
His style may have softened since the Dire Straits days but this can only be a good thing whe none recalls the bloated synths of their latter years. Shangri-La is Knopfler living his cowboy dream which seems to be what keeps his spirit for good music as fresh as it ever was.--Steve Beefmark
Album Description
Signed copies or the album and packs of Shangri-La playing cards will be randomly assigned to 10 pre-orders for this title. One lucky customer will also receive a signed Mark Knopfler guitar.
The fourth solo excursion from acclaimed singer-songwriter-guitarist Mark Knopfler, Shangri-La is perhaps his most accomplished album since his halcyon days in Dire Straits. A four-time Grammy winner who has sold some 110 million albums worldwide with that group and solo — and whose signature guitar sound, instantly recognisable vocals and smart lyrics have made him one of rock's most admired artists — Knopfler offers an idyllic earthly refuge for the sophisticated rock fan with Shangri-La.
Guitar Information:Mark's Strat guitar features a '57 Strat guitar ash body and a vintage tinted '62 "C"-shape maple neck with a rosewood fingerboard. His unmistakable tone comes from three Texas Special single-coil pickups and a five-way switch. Fender/Gotoh vintage tuners and an American vintage tremolo system round out this sultan of swing.
The fourth solo excursion from acclaimed singer-songwriter-guitarist Mark Knopfler, Shangri-La is perhaps his most accomplished album since his halcyon days in Dire Straits. A four-time Grammy winner who has sold some 110 million albums worldwide with that group and solo — and whose signature guitar sound, instantly recognisable vocals and smart lyrics have made him one of rock's most admired artists — Knopfler offers an idyllic earthly refuge for the sophisticated rock fan with Shangri-La.
Guitar Information:Mark's Strat guitar features a '57 Strat guitar ash body and a vintage tinted '62 "C"-shape maple neck with a rosewood fingerboard. His unmistakable tone comes from three Texas Special single-coil pickups and a five-way switch. Fender/Gotoh vintage tuners and an American vintage tremolo system round out this sultan of swing.
