This came out in 2004 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
After breaking his collarbone, shoulder and ribs in a motorcycle crash early last year, Mark Knopfler had to put down his guitar for more than six months. But if you think it made the former Dire Straits frontman change his tune, think again.
Shangri-La, Knopfler’s fourth non-soundtrack solo album, is chock full of the burbling licks and smoky Dylanesque vocals that have been his trademark since Sultans Of Swing. Mind, you won’t find anything that upbeat or hooky here; these 14 rootsy cuts are gentle, slow burners more akin to J.J. Cale than, say, Money For Nothing. Looks like Knopfler is learning to appreciate life in the slow lane.
