I have many albums that I loved on first listening, but have not had on my stereo in years. Like a meteor, they burned out fast after impressing with superficial flash.

Then again, I have albums that took several times of playing through to "get it". These have more substance than flash, and they also have longevity. You hear something new on each subsequent listening.

Shangri-La falls into the second category. Great melodies, finely honed deep lyrics, and songs that are actually about something make up this album. For me, it is almost a compliment that I like this album, which is rejected by people that are into reading the lists of the top 10 records of the week. I'll still have Shangri-La in my short list of CDs being run through my players in both home and car when those folks are on their 50th crappy album of mindless fluff.

Knopfler is a grown man in his 50s now. His music should have and did change over the years. If you don't "get" this record, it might say more about you than the album.

MK is a great artist. Through his past career he was not what you might call a 'mainstream' artist. I think this is an attempt at getting into mainstream music. I give this CD an A+.

This is, in my opinion, one of Mark Knopfler's best solo recordings. I rank it right up there with Golden Heart. Just because the CD doesn't "rock" as much as previous releases, it doesn't mean it isn't as good. There isn't a weak track on the CD, and "5:15 am" is an absolute masterpiece and one of the best songs he has ever done, including his Dire Straits material. To compare his solo material to his Dire Straits material is silly. Mark Knopfler is one of the greatest singer/songwriter/guitarists in history, bar none. If you yearn for the harder stuff, then by all means play Brothers in Arms! It's also a masterpiece! And for those of you who think that Mark Knopfler can't rock anymore, well, you couldn't be more wrong. I saw him in concert last night in Munich, Germany, and he was incredible. He played many Dire Straits songs as well as his solo stuff, and he closed the show with "Going Home", a beautiful instrumental from the Local Hero soundtrack. Yes, he does soundtracks, too! Check out Local Hero and Cal, you won't be disappointed. I highly recommend this CD by Mark Knopfler, a living legend.

Someone gave me this one as a gift knowing how big a fan I am of Mark Knapfler. I am a fan, Sailing to Philadelphia is still one of my favorite CD's and when I heard there was a sequel I of course wanted it.

This isn't the sequel and it's not what I wanted. This is one of the most boring albums I have ever heard. If it weren't for the distinctive voice and guitar I wouldn't have believed it was Knopfler. What a disappointment.

I tried, I really did. I listened to it three times but it's no use. It's times like this you really wish you could return music. You get a better idea of why some people steal it so often, at least you don't get ripped off!

If you are a Knopfler fan stay away!

The people who say this cd is boring are obviously not good listeners. If your looking for hot licks a la Sultans Of Swing then go there. This record rewards repeated listening and is a shining example of Knopfler's fine songwriting and masterful guitar playing. If you dig the focused, guitar oriented sound of the early Dire Straits albums, you'll like the sound of Shangri-la. The title track features Mark's best vocals on the album and some gorgeous guitar. There are many other fine songs on this 14 track collection including Boom Like That, Sucker Row, Back To Tulepo, and Everybody Pays.