if your lasting memory of mark knopfler is that guy with the headband and sleeveless shirt playing in the mtv video of ‘money for nothing’, then you may have been unaware of his solo career since 1996. this album marks his ninth solo album (not counting soundtracks and side projects with other artists). mark knopfler is the kind of artist i like to keep track of. since my early introduction to dire straits in college, i have managed to buy just about everything he has recorded. yes, i love me some early straits, but i am also smitten with his solo work, especially his last 3 or 4. his new one came out a couple of weeks back, and it helps further establish his talent. yes, he is an incredibly able guitarist who can play nearly every kind of guitar and many different styles. and yes, he is a master in the studio and is also well known for producing other artists’ work.  but he is also a damn good storyteller, and crafts some beautiful arrangements. the production is as usual top notch, and was recorded at knopfler’s legendary british grove studio.

his new one almost feels like two different approaches. there are some more upbeat offerings with backup singers and horns and infectious rhythms, and then there are a handful of more intimate songs that almost have a jazz night club approach. as such it doesn’t have a good flow to it, but that is more of an observation and not a criticism. if you are new to his solo work, i might recommend 2015’s ‘tracker first, or 2012’s ‘privateering’, but this is a worthy listen as well.

this is jason’s second live album, the other being 2012’s ‘live from alabama’. just like that one did, ‘live from the ryman’ focuses on material from his last three studio albums: ‘southeastern’ (2013), ‘something more than free’ (2015), and last year’s ‘the nashville sound’.

the band has become to the ryman what the allman brothers once were to new york’s beacon theater. they have fourteen consecutive sellouts from 2014 through 2017, and are in the middle of their 2018 six night run right now. all of the material presented here is from the 2017 run, and the thirteen songs were hand selected by jason. the album is mixed by dave cobb, who also produced the last three albums. (they also worked together on the soundtrack to ‘a star is born’, with bradley cooper singing an isbell penned tune, ‘maybe it’s time’). in my mind cobb’s work on ‘southeastern’ is one of the reasons he is one of the most sought after producers in nashville. he has stated that he wanted the listening experience to make it feel like you’re right there in the audience. one of my first impressions is that you may be a little too close. the crowd noise is up in the mix, and there are a number of guys and maybe one female in the audience who feel compelled to give out a ‘whooo’ a little too often. other than that the band sounds great.

i have seen them three times over the last 18 months and this is pretty indicative of their usual performance. i think the best songs are the ones selected from ‘southeastern’, especially ‘elephant’. i never grow tired of that song. if you are not familiar with jason’s work, i would start with that album. his latest two don’t quite match up, in my opinion. this live album would also be a good introduction. ‘last of my kind’, off of ‘nashville sound’ is also a highlight here, mostly due to the band airing it out a little bit between lyrics and making it the only song that is significantly different than the studio versions of the rest.

which leads me to my only real criticism of the offering. if it wasn’t for the crowd, you might not know that it was live. no extended jams, covers or other features you might expect from a live concert. i know from experience that he does do this during shows, but for some reason chose not to include them in this release. still, you really can’t go wrong with a little more jason isbell in your collection.

as a curious aside, some of you may know that he gave up drinking a while ago, before these last three albums were recorded. of the 13 songs, my rough calculation is that he mentions drugs or alcohol in at least ten of them. maybe he lives vicariously through his characters. whatever it takes to keep him clean and healthy is ok with me.

this is john hiatt’s first new recording in four years, his longest pause since the seventies. now 66, much of the material is reflective in nature. whether acknowledging his own shortcomings as a person, reconsidering old romances, or staring at his impending demise, the songs here are well constructed and honest. recorded in nashville last summer (three of the songs were recorded the day of the eclipse, hence the title), the arrangements are sparse but appropriate. kenneth blevins provides the drums, much like he has since ‘slow turning’ in 1987. and then we add some organ and a blend of acoustic and electric guitars for a nice folk/rock blend (check out the j.j.cale style leads in ‘over the hill’ below).

fans of his work will recognize his typical songwriting patterns and wry humor. this is probably my favorite album of his since ‘crossing muddy waters’. he seems to know that time is running out (and his voice is not what it once was), but he still has something to say and has the integrity to do it the right way.

he is going out on a solo tour starting saturday in new orleans. he has eighty songs prepared and will do about 25 a night he says, taking requests. should be a good show if he comes to your area.

this is the devil makes three’s first release of original material in five years, and it’s somewhat of a departure from their previous work, including their album of cover songs from 2016, ‘redemption and ruin’. i really liked that one, and wrote about it when it came out. it was a collection of songs by writers as varied as townes van zandt, muddy waters, hank williams sr., tom waits, and ralph stanley, just to name a few. the song selections had a number of themes driven by faults, vices, and forgiveness (hence the title). in many ways the original tunes penned by guitarist pete bernhard on the new one explore similar thoughts and stories.

what makes this album different from the past is threefold. this is the first studio release with a drummer, as their touring drummer stefan amidon joins them throughout. in addition, the overall sound is a tad more sophisticated and catchy, and might be their most commercially accessible release to date. sometimes that would be considered a backhanded compliment, but i don’t think that’s the case here – i think that it’s just different, not better or worse. i have really enjoyed everything i have of theirs, and this is no exception. thirdly, the production then complements all of this with a more refined approach, as compared to their previous raw and rootsy style.

although they are often categorized and marketed as a bluegrass band, in reality i think they are better described as a blend of folk/country/ragtime with an occasional punk urgency, especially in their live performances. this album doesn’t sound anything like bluegrass to me, in fact it is a bit hard to categorize at all, which is often a good thing. if you are unfamiliar with the band, this is a great starting point. if you like this, then i would highly suggest looking into the rest of their catalog. i have not seen them live, and their current tour seems to be all out west, but i will keep them on my radar if they announce anything east of the mississippi. in the meantime this will be on my playlist for a while.