Asif Khan Inc.

Get Lucky – Mark Knopfler

With the days of revving ahead on “Heavy Fuel” left a few decades behind, Mark Knopfler has chalked out a successful solo career for himself. And though we haven’t exactly found much affinity between his solo ventures and the musical variety of his past, we don’t think anybody has been complaining. After all, Knopfler is one guitarman who commands respect when he plays with the strings in his trademark finger plucking style. “Get Lucky” is an album which overflows with a passion that comes only too naturally to the genre of blues. There isn’t a single instance where you feel that Knopfler is straining the music a bit too hard; barring the sizzling panache as he exits “Cleaning My Gun”, of course. Knopfler doesn’t sing. He talks. And with the timbre he possesses in his baritone, it’s pretty much apt and fitting that he tells us stories. Stories of times past and present, told from the wise eyes of a man who has seen it all. Simple tunes telling simple stories from everyday life. Knopfler doesn’t depend on his guitar alone. His Celtic influences are visible throughout – the flute on the title track, the accordion on “Piper to the End”, the piano on “You Can’t Beat The House” – each of which act as formidable companions. Hear it once and you would immediately realize the soothing effect it has on your soul.