Nobody tells stories as well as Mark Knopfler. Ever since he went solo with Golden Heart , Knopfler has been consistently putting out quirkily-profound narratives; a tradition he continues in his eighth solo album, Tracker .
The 11-track offering steers clear of his Dire Straits years — Knopfler was singer, songwriter and lead guitarist for the rock band from when he founded it with his brother in 1979 to 1995 when Dire Straits disbanded. Tracker explores a unity of time and memory as Knopfler tracks down nostalgic reminders of his ‘Sultans of Swing’ days. Backed by his decade-old solo career band, which still includes former Dire Straits keyboardist Guy Fletcher, Tracker is quintessential Knopfler. Powerful Celtic hues, splashes of jazz, country, folk and hints of rock take you on a leisurely stroll in Tracker . With only two songs under five minutes and clocking at over an hour of playtime, the album is relaxed in pace and provides a consistent vibe that makes it a cohesive work rather than an assortment of songs. Knopfler is in no hurry to share his stories as each colourful tale unspools slowly and deliberately even as he tracks each song to the end. Veering away from expectations, Knopfler launches into ‘Laughs And Jokes And Drinks And Smokes’ with blazing Celtic violins and flutes backed by triumphant jazzy rhythms. The storyteller weaves an elaborate tale as he sings of a lonesome gravedigger in ‘Mighty Bones’, a derelict in ‘River Towns’ and a newspaper copy boy, inspired by his own youth in ‘Basil’. Backed by Celtic-infused arrangements sprinkled with his characteristic spiralling guitar lines, Tracker is haunting and yet, refreshing. Knopfler sends a load of tributes heavenwards in Tracker as he reminisces over key people in his life. On ‘Basil’, which kicks off with a bevy of mandolins, Knopfler pays tribute to poet Basil Bunting, whom he met while working as copy boy at the Newcastle Evening Chronicle . ‘Beryl’, another cornerstone of Knopfler’s legacy salutes late Liverpool writer Beryl Bainbridge, with a low-key glitzy tone. Knopfler owes two songs on Tracker to Bob Dylan with whom he toured Europe and the States that led to the creation of ‘Silver Eagle’, penned during a rolling tour bus ride, and ‘Lights of Taormina’, written overlooking the dreamy Italian retreat. Both songs exude a meandering slow-paced laid-back look at life on the road and reinvigorate the journeyman’s powerful vocal and lyrical proficiency.
The boxing trot of ‘Broken Bones’ is a hypnotic, disco groove stomp and will keep you hooked to it. The incongruous ‘Skydiver’ raves in some heavy dance pop signatures that stands out in remarkable defiance to the rest of the album, and yet seems to fit in to the country kitsch soundscape of Tracker .
Knopfler’s heart-warming ‘Long Cool Girl’ is vibrantly dreamy and comfortably blissful. Closing with ‘Wherever I Go’, a graceful country duet with Ruth Moody is about two souls crossing paths briefly and the emotional bond that remains. The shimmering, sax-infused piece is easily one of Knopfler’s finest ballads. A predictable whiff of whisky and rolling tobacco hangs in the air as Knopfler reminds you of an old storyteller sitting on a stool in a hazy pub delivering stories of stoic ache in Tracker . This is one narrative that is bound to keep you hooked and listening time and again.
Tracker is available on audio CD format by Universal Music for Rs. 395.