Artist: MARK KNOPFLER [DIRE STRAITS]
Album: PRIVATEERING (2CD)

Year: 2012
EAN/UPS: 0602537043217
Media type: CD

Privateering is the seventh solo album by Mark Knopfler, released on 3 September 2012 by Mercury Records.

In his review in the The Gazette, Bernard Perusse gave the album four out of five stars, noting its continuity with Knopfler's previous solo efforts in its mix of "gentle folk rockers with moody portraits painted by acoustic guitars and whistles." Some of the new songs, according to Perusse, "rank up there with the finest in his catalogue." One element that distinguishes Privateering from its predecessors is its "economical use of trademark electric guitar fills and a frequent leaning on blues structures," with more than half of the songs presented in the blues genre.

In his review in the Daily Express, Simon Gage gave the album four out of five stars, calling it "lyrically sound and musically flawless." According to Gage, Knopfler is still going strong after thirty-five years of recording and that there's "nothing here that won't delight Knopfler fans."

His voice is sounding more like Leonard Cohen than ever and while the melancholy flavour we expect of this all-time great is still very much in evidence, there are forays out into classic blues and bluesy rock, both of which suit him down to the ground.

TRACKLIST CD1:

1."Redbud Tree" – 3:19
2."Haul Away" – 4:01
3."Don't Forget Your Hat" – 5:15
4."Privateering" – 6:19
5."Miss You Blues" – 4:18
6."Corned Beef City" – 3:32
7."Go, Love" – 4:52
8."Hot or What" – 4:54
9."Yon Two Crows" – 4:26
10."Seattle" – 4:17

TRACKLIST CD2:

1."Kingdom of Gold" – 5:22
2."Got to Have Something" – 4:01
3."Radio City Serenade" – 5:13
4."I Used to Could" – 3:36
5."Gator Blood" – 4:15
6."Bluebird" – 3:27
7."Dream of the Drowned Submariner" – 4:57
8."Blood and Water" – 5:19
9."Today Is Okay" – 4:45
10."After the Bean Stalk" – 3:54

LINE-UP:

Mark Knopfler – vocals, electric, slide, and acoustic guitars
Richard Bennett – guitars, bouzouki, and tiple
Guy Fletcher – keyboards, vocals, bass (on "Redbud Tree"), string arrangements
Glenn Worf – bass guitar, string bass
Ian Thomas – drums
John McCusker – violin, cittern, whistle
Jim Cox – piano, organ
Paul Franklin – pedal steel guitar
Phil Cunningham – accordion
Michael McGoldrick – flute, whistle, uilleann pipes
Rupert Gregson-Williams – conducting strings

Guest appearances:

Kim Wilson – harp
Ruth Moody – vocals
Chris Botti – trumpet
Nigel Hitchcock – saxophone
John Charnec – clarinet