Finally! A rock star who understands his strengths and knows how to use them to optimal effect! This is a brilliant, exquisite dispaly of song craft, subtle and sophisticated guitar playing, sublimely wrought melodies and arrangements that will stand as a hallmark of one of the truly great writers to have emerged at the end of the seventies. 25 years on and Mark Knopfler is more in command of his considerable powers than ever before. Perhaps through his soundtracks, stint with the Notting Hill Billies, his "Sailing to Philadelphia" Mark has shed his money for nothing vapour lock and emerged, or better reemerged as the eminent storyteller who so finally crafted epics like "Telegraph Road" and "Brothers in Arms" and of course "Sultans."

The genuine article, as one might say, he is Geordie through and through, and his borderlands colours wave bravely over this album of finely written stories. From the opening "Way Aye Man", all full of Tyneside atmosphere and courage to the closing "Old Pigweed" the narrators are real people with very effecting tales to tell. Knopfler and James McMurtry share that unique ability to gain the insight of people who live close to their circumstances, like most of us do, and dissect the issues that are the crest jewel of the decisions we make in life.

The band on this disc is just incredible. Chad Cromwell's drumming is the absolutely perfect foil for Knopfler's guitar lines, and fellow Notting Hillman, Guy Fletcher is on board to keep things organically true to the bone. The bass lines are as dynamic as the guitar runs and when you listen to "Coyote", complete with horns, it strikes you how well intelligence can swing. In some phrases, Knopfler brings to mind fellow Geordie Martin Stephenson, and perhaps it's in the Newcastle blood, the ability to swing. Certainly the pipe tunes from the tradition there roll with a sea spray you don't hear in other traditions, so it must carry over to more contemporary writers as well.

The waltz, "Ragpicker's Dream" is achingly beautiful, full of all the sentinmentality and bittersweetness of the waltzes he wrote for "Local Hero". Each and every song on this collection is a gem. As my headline states, this is a subtle, sophisticated masterpiece: it swings, it waltzes, it rocks and it stands on its own merits as a statement from a consummate musiciian and insightful writer of the daily vicissitudes of life that propel us as we embrace our past, present and future. Well done, Knop. Best of the Year!

I've dug Mark Knopfler ever since "Sultans of Swing" and like a fine wine...well, I don't know much about wine...but Mr. Knopfler is definitely growing even better with age. "The Ragpicker's Dream" is proof positive of this. Fantastic album that grows on you with each listen. Don't expect the second coming of Dire Straits here. This is a different Mark Knopfler. A fusion of folk, rock and country with a touch of blues and a dash of humor all with an ole time feel. Mr. Knopfler has become quite the storyteller through his songs. It is a very "visual" album and it does not take much effort to visualize the people and places that his lyrics lead you. His quitar may have mellowed a bit over the years but it has not lost any of its impact and has picked up a sort of understated beauty...the man knows his way around a fret board. Beautiful stuff to listen to. And that voice...grown finer still over the years...soothing and charming as ever...and now you believe even more that voice knows from which it is speaking.

This album will charm you. If at first you don't quite get it give it a few more turns and it will begin to become clear that Mr. Knopfler has got it going on. It will leave you with a good positive feeling despite its low key, understated feel and at the same time perhaps a bit of a tear in your eye that it is over. That is quickly remedied by another spin through this wonderful collection of tunes.

Dig through the rubble and pick up "The Ragpicker's Dream".

The Ragpicker's Dream is the third official solo album by this genious guitarist. No surprises, it is another very good album and he played well, but this is the first time his vocal made more impact than his finger!!!

The album is an mixture of country, honky-tonk, blues and completed with some rock. A very accoustic effort... this one. That's certainly not bad to somebody who does not believe a musician has to play the same type of music. To tell you the truth after couple of listenings, I was a little disappointed because of the lack of power jams in the line of Tunnel of love, Sultans of swing or Telegraph road. It does not even have something like 'Silvertown blues'. So what does it have... I found out soon that it has 'This is place we used to live' - a song sung softly and hits heart at the center. Wow, Mark that's a great vocal effort. It has 'You don't know you were born' with thumping drum beats (anybody expecting a John Bonham beat will be disappointed but it is rockable). It has the title track, which again is soft and superb. It has 9 more tracks that may not be his greatest songs but they fit well in an album that creates a new dimension for the man himself. The album was not 180 degree turnaround of few previous albums. He hinted that this album is coming up in Dire Strait's 1991 album 'On every street' (listen the song 'How long'), His first solo 1996 'Golden heart' and second solo 2000 'Sailing to philadelphia'. So we got an album 11 years in the making!!!

Now it seems that this is not going be as praised as 'Golden heart' or as successful as 'Sailing to Philadelphia'. Reason is simply, the lovers of accoustic/country kind of music may not pick this album in the first place because they are not aware. If you are one of them you can pick this album. You won't be disappointer. Some non flexible Dire Straits fan may find this album a little disappointing as this is quite a change of genre for them.

Had I written this review after 4 listenings, I would have given 4 stars, but now it has grown on me considerably. I will give it 5, a standard for Mark's huge talent.

This is a wonderful album, in some ways a far cry from the Dire Straits sound. It emphasises the singing and songwriting talents of Mark Knopfler. It is more rootsy, has fewer long guitar solos but excellent guitar and music. The album is also not as rocky as most of his other outings. Like the cover, except for the first track and possibly the third, the rest of the songs are more laidback or quiet. The cover says it all.

My favorite song is "A Place Where We Used to Live". The lyrics are so poignant that they struck a special chord deep inside me. The understated way of expressing all that is lost by saying "its just a place where we used to love" is just breath-taking. The rest of the album has this sense of understated-ness, something subtle. Marbletown is another lovely track with just MK singing and picking guitar, no other instruments.

The weak tracks are possibly the last two songs. I find it hard to like the sound of "Daddy's Gone To..". The other standout tracks are "Devil Baby", "Fare Thee Well...", "Marbletown", "You Don't Know..", "Hill Farmer Blues" and "Coyote".

Those looking for Telegraph Road like solos won't find it here, but those looking for good music will find this an oasis in a sea awash with mediocre stuff.

This is a lovely album. I have heard it about six or seven times and there isn't a single awkward song here. It is a smooth and pleasant listening experience from beginning to end. This is in contrast to Knopfler's two earlier solo efforts (Golden heart and Sailing to philadelphia) where one is forced to skip a song here or there. There is also a remarkable improvement in his singing. I particularly liked the songs 'Quality Shoe', 'Fare thee well northumberland' and the closing 'Old Pigweed' - great lyrics, fine music and perfect tone.

People who complain about missing lead guitar licks from Knopfler's Dire Straits days should note the crisp acoustic/rhythm/bass guitar work in every song. In fact, in terms of diversity in style and giving each song its own slightly unique flavour, I'd say he has definitely improved over the years. The only problem I have is that he has eased up on structural innovation - both in terms of the musical construction of the song and the rhyming patterns in the lyrics. It would be great to see a few unpredictable songs like 'telegraph road' again.