Mark Knopfler 8: Kill To Get Crimson

When one is a fan of a particular performer, new albums are bought more out of habit, and with a lot of finger-crossing that something will even approach said performer’s best work. Mark Knopfler wandered through the new century dropping crumbs here and there, and Kill To Get Crimson would appear to be another one in a lengthening series of temporary diversions until the next change of wallpaper.

He’s not about to change his style, or his approach. This much is obvious on “True Love Will Never Fade”, and in case that sentiment comes off as vague, he’ll repeat the title about 47 times before the track ends. But then “The Scaffolder’s Wife” matches flute and vibes for a more cinematic angle.

The album proceeds like that, with mystery on “The Fizzy And The Still” and the familiar romantic dobro on “Heart Full Of Holes”. “We Can Get Wild” doesn’t, but “The Secondary Waltz” is charming. “Punish The Monkey” is a meaningless groove, “Let It All Go” and “Behind With The Rent” songs in character, “The Fish And The Bird” and “Madame Geneva’s” descended from arcane English folk. Finally, “In The Sky” floats along for over seven minutes, and is probably still up there.

Kill To Get Crimson just slides over the thumbs-up finish, but—and we’re getting really tired of saying this—would be a lot better if it weren’t so long. Yes, it’s nice when musicians use the capacity of the compact disc to provide value, but it’s nicer when you actually want to devote an hour to an album.

Mark Knopfler Kill To Get Crimson (2007)—3