I enjoy some of MK's music a lot. When listening to his albums, I just get the feeling that his music has 'quality written all over it' - fine songwriting (especially the lyrics), immaculate guitar playing and superior production. Yet, despite this, I often find each album contains only 3 or 4 songs that I really enjoy, a couple which bore me to tears, and the rest are just OK (but to be fair, enjoyment of his music does benefit from several listenings). There will be some people for whom MK 'can do no wrong' and I also feel that way about a few artists - but MK is not (yet) one of these. So, I was a little cautious about buying this album, but I thought I'd take a chance because some of the pre-release editorial reviews suggested that I might like it. As it turns out, I was not too disappointed.

THE SONGS - MK's lyrics are always fascinating but he seems to have surpassed himself on this album - in many songs, capturing the quintessence of post-WW2 life for ordinary English people. Although, for the most part, the melodies are good (a few having a distinct Gaelic flavour), I wouldn't describe them as 'infectious'; and I thought 2 or 3 were, by comparison, rather bland. There are no up-tempo songs to speak of (a couple come close) and there are certainly no 'full-tilt rockers'. Few of the songs have that 'americana' influence to be found on previous albums (the 'Springsteen-esque' 'True Love Will Never Fade' being the main exception) - MK has moved eastwards across the Atlantic for much of his inspiration on 'Kill to Get Crimson'. It is the songs that define the mood of the album and I would describe this as 'nostalgic-reflective' (in a very English sort of way).

THE PLAYING - You get little in the way of 'rock guitar' and most guitar solos are brief; but MK's playing permeates all tracks and the sound is absolutely sublime. In addition to percussion and bass, accompaniment is provided by accordion, violin, cittern, flute, saxophone, trumpet, clarinet and vibraphone; these are used judiciously (and very effectively) to enrich the overall sound - the phrase 'less means more' is very apt here.

THE VOCALS - MK has a rich baritone voice which is 'slightly frayed around the edges' - a voice which may be an acquired taste for some but one which I find very appealing; his singing is somewhat smoother than on past albums and he manages to inject a 'folksy' lilt from time to time. His limited vocal range has occasionally let him down in the past, but there is little evidence of this on 'Kill to Get Crimson'.

For a change, I enjoyed the majority of the songs on this album; for what it's worth, the following in particular : 'Heart Full of Holes', 'We Can Get Wild', 'Secondary Waltz', 'Punish the Monkey', 'Behind With The Rent', and 'Madame Geneva's'.

If I were rating this album purely on it's all-round musicality and 'technical' proficiency, then 5-stars would be amply justified (as another reviewer has summed it up, it is 'clean, clear and perfect'). However, 2 or 3 songs didn't do a lot for me and so, in terms of my subjective enjoyment, 3.5/4-stars are more appropriate. The extent to which you are likely to enjoy this album much depends on whether you prefer MK's music with a North American or an English/Gaelic influence. Also, if you liked

, there's a good chance you will like 'Kill to Get Crimson'. When considering the album's mood and musical content, of his earlier albums,

probably comes closest - so this is something else to bear in mind (but don't sue me if I'm wrong!). It's a very mellow and relaxing album which, vocally and instrumentally, is almost devoid of any edginess.

I liked this album quite a lot, but if your initial reaction is 'more boring stuff from Mark Knopfler', I would ask you to sit down and LISTEN to the music, one or two tracks at a time spread over a few weeks, because 'coming to terms' with MK's music is a gradual process. I think this is a good way to start appreciating, more fully, MK's beguiling songs and accomplished playing.

If you are not too familiar with MK's solo work and would like to try a compilation of his music, I can recommend

. Just over half the tracks are Dire Straits' best known songs and the others are MK solo performances. This album is available as a 'Standard' version (1 CD & 14 tracks) and a 'De-luxe' version (2 CDs & 21/22 tracks); the link here directs you to the 'De-luxe' version.

"Kill to Get Crimson" is another strong production from Mark Knopfler -- perhaps a bit slower and more meditative than his earlier solo albums, but recognizably Knopfler to the core. There is no single song here with the instantly infectuous nature of, say, "Postcards from Paraguay," but the new album is a compelling compilation of Knopfler compositions. There may be no dazzling intricate solo guitar interludes, but Knopfler's guitar work on this album is nonetheless crisply solid. As always, Mark Knopfler's lyrics are worth listening to again and again. And I agree with those other reviewers who emphasize that to really appreciate this album requires multiple listenings. I've been replaying it again and again since I bought it, and it seems each time through brings some new discovery.

This album, fifth in an increasingly complex series, has created enormous controversy amongst the denizens of a forum dedicated to Mark Knopfler and his music. There seems to be little middle ground here; there are those who bewail the fact that this album, in its sweet, understated beauty, lacks the drive of Mark's early years. Still others - mostly those who have sailed along on this long boatride with him into musical oldsterism - are charmed by his ever-more-prevalent folksy leanings. It isn't that he doesn't still have it, as anyone who has attended his recent shows can attest - he can still smoke his way through "Speedway At Nazareth". It seems to be, rather, that he is more interested in exploring the essential roots. He's classed himself as a 'roots music' writer and performer. It doesn't get much more rootsy than this.

The album opens with "True Love Will Never Fade", a song about a tattoo artist (he got the idea from a book called The Electric Michelangelo - a good read, by the way), and it's clear with the first verse that his voice is improving with every album. No longer a growl, it's warm, introspective, affable...and loaded with longing, the vocal equivalent of a fine red wine. The music is gentle, never overbearing, and voice and instruments complement each other. The next song, "The Scaffolder's Wife", injects flute into the mix, and turns the piece into a haunting word-picture. Further in, "Heart Full Of Holes" - my favourite - is another haunting tale which starts out peaceably enough until you read all the lyrics and realize the narrator, an elderly pawn shop owner, is a survivor of horrific events that come out fleetingly and elusively through the words he speaks.

Mark Knopfler is a master at representation, of portrayal, of spinning a tale you want to hear to the end. I get a picture in my mind of the crafty tinker gathering everyone around him by the fire at night to hear his magical tales. This is that picture. Mark is no longer just to be revered for his guitar work...actually he was always a first-rate songwriter, but the blazing licks he used in the past to bolster his songs sometimes overshadowed the words. Now he is in partnership with his guitar, a meeting of equals, old friends that finish each other's sentences.

This is an album to savour, to listen to from every angle. You may be ambivalent on the first hearing, but I almost guarantee you that if you have always appreciated his music in the past, this is an album you cannot help but think about at odd moments in your day. I find myself hearing bits of it here and there throughout my waking hours.

Truth is, thi is one of the most endearing and human records Knopfler has ever created - on a par with the scores from Cal and Local Hero, and as poignant as Ragpicker's Waltz. It just is down to very real stories about very real characters who suffer, much as the protagonist in "heart full of holes". These are songs that will not reduce you to tears but leave you thinking long after they have ended. Knopfler is down to a basic quartet this time as well : Guy Fletcher and compadres are all the accompaniement he needs. What few guests there are absolutely add something shimmering to the quality of this recording. There are no numbskull duest with the King of Ponce, Sting, or rehashes of paeans to poolside twisting, mtv, ray kroc or whatever else he was on to when stumped for legitimate inspiration.

Instead the stories flow seamlessly from the tattoo artist paean to love that will never fade through to the borrowed Irsih lament that infuses the bird and the fish right to the very last tune. Perhaps time with EmmyLou Harris reminded him of telling a genuine story and how powerful that can be on its own terms. There is no flash, no hooks, just great, great songwriting and genuine stories. In the end, as this came to a conclusion, I thought that this might be the greatest example of songwriting this side of Gordon Lightfoot - real people, real lives, genuine human pathos. It doesn't get any better. Kudos to Knopfler.

This fifth solo album from Mark covers territory that has been sorely missed out of his previous solo albums. A set list of songs primarily influenced by his life in the UK, rather than heavy doses of his always-wonderful interpretations of American music. Knopfler's songs have obviously always had Scottish, Irish, and GB influences, but this is the first, in my mind, which showcases them. Kill To Get Crimson is all at once sentimental, meditative, melancholy, and joyous. A profoundly important piece to the grand jig-saw puzzle that is Mark Knopfler's musical legacy.