Wishbones

Wishbones

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
With his third album since transplanting his music from his native Maine to Austin, Slaid Cleaves now draws as much from country and blues roots, with a touch of classic-rock Springsteen, as he does from the troubadour tradition. His tales of losers and dreamers, of hard luck and life's tough lessons, benefit here from the musical muscle of a band that includes producer Gurf Morlix on bass and guitar, veteran keyboardist Ian McLagan, drummer Rick Richards, and guitarist Charles Arthur, who channels the sinuous inspiration of Otis Rush on the bluesy "Sinner's Prayer." Other highlights include the tuneful title track (written with Ray Wylie Hubbard), the barroom brawling "Drinkin' Days," the taut wisdom of "Hearts Break," and the affirmation of "New Year's Day." In the four years since his previous release, Cleaves has grown into a writer who is more than the sum of his influences, and a musical artist who is no longer content to let the lyric carry the whole load. --Don McLeese

Product Description
Slaid Cleaves, called "one of the finest singer-songwriters from Texas" by The New York Times, ventures into exciting new territory on the follow up to the acclaimed Broke Down. Delivering hard hitting songs and a more muscular sound by producer Gurf Morlix (Lucinda Williams, Robert Earl Keen), Wishbones is the strongest album yet from this captivating artist.

Wishbones,Slaid Cleaves,Philo / Pgd,Contemporary Folk,Contemporary Singer/Songwriter,Folk,Folk & Traditional,Pop

Average customer rating:

I don't believe a word of it

Disappointed

A little too country

Aint broke don't fix it

Slaid has another great one

Wishbones
Slaid Cleaves
Manufacturer: Philo / Umgd
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music
Singer-Songwriters | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music
General | Folk | Styles | Music
Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Broke Down

Unsung

No Angel Knows

Snake Farm

You Can't Save Everybody

ASIN: B0001GOHK2
Release Date: 2004-03-09

Tracks:

Wishbone
Road to Long
Drinkin' Days
Sinner's Prayer
Tiger Tom Dixon's Blues
Below
Quick as a Dream
Horses and Divorces
Hearts Break
Borderline
New Year's Day

Amazon.com

With his third album since transplanting his music from his native Maine to Austin, Slaid Cleaves now draws as much from country and blues roots, with a touch of classic-rock Springsteen, as he does from the troubadour tradition. His tales of losers and dreamers, of hard luck and life's tough lessons, benefit here from the musical muscle of a band that includes producer Gurf Morlix on bass and guitar, veteran keyboardist Ian McLagan, drummer Rick Richards, and guitarist Charles Arthur, who channels the sinuous inspiration of Otis Rush on the bluesy "Sinner's Prayer." Other highlights include the tuneful title track (written with Ray Wylie Hubbard), the barroom brawling "Drinkin' Days," the taut wisdom of "Hearts Break," and the affirmation of "New Year's Day." In the four years since his previous release, Cleaves has grown into a writer who is more than the sum of his influences, and a musical artist who is no longer content to let the lyric carry the whole load. --Don McLeese

Album Description

Slaid Cleaves, called "one of the finest singer-songwriters from Texas" by The New York Times, ventures into exciting new territory on the follow up to the acclaimed Broke Down. Delivering hard hitting songs and a more muscular sound by producer Gurf Morlix (Lucinda Williams, Robert Earl Keen), Wishbones is the strongest album yet from this captivating artist.

Customer Reviews:

I don't believe a word of it.......2006-07-24

I purchased this disc after having read the glowing reviews and because of Slaid Cleaves' association with artists I admire. Unfortunately, I find WISHBONE utterly boring and unlistenable. Every note, word, syllable and emotion is so perfectly placed that it resembles the work of a gifted graduate student who has assimilated the works of the masters without really having anything of his own to say. The overwhelming effort to convey sincerity and passion seems processed and canned. I greatly prefer his UNSUNG disc.

Disappointed.......2005-09-01

After the acclaim this album has drawn I was looking very forward to hearing it. I was disappointed in it and found it impossible to get into. I listened to it through 5 times trying to find a groove with it but never did.

A little too country.......2005-02-16

As much of a fan as i am of Slaid Cleaves, i didnt enjoy Wishbones. Slaid's relocation to Texas is strating to seep further into his music. The folk sounds of Lifes Other Side and No Angel Knows have been left behind for a more "twangy" sound.
Slaid, come back to Maine!!

Aint broke don't fix it.......2004-09-01

No huge surprises in Wishbones, "if it ain't broke don't fix it". So expect, top notch instrumentation (big iron strings and sliding steel abound ) and equally slick production and performance, emotional weight and clever wordplay, stories of the hard road, American fables, and lovelorn vinaigrettes.In his own words from the title track "this is real life no reality show" . The gritty Cleaves is again in cahoots with Austin production mentor and buddy Gurf Morlix, but this time he is really utilising Gurfs considerable guitaring skills to maximum effect. This album is a bit rockier with more band arrangements than the award winning 2000 release Broke Down. Cleaves says, with obvious pride, of Wishbones "The instrumentation becomes more a part of the story instead of the background to the story." It certainly feels comfortable on the ears to this listener, and I can see why Cleaves is comfortable with the arrangements to the extent he indicates.

The only complaint I can imagine from his legion of fans will be "why so long"? Slaid Cleaves is at his best when he is telling "beginning middle and end" stories and Wishbones, if anything, has even more story songs than Broke Down. He has a lazy affability and a deceptively well-honed ability to introduce characters, lay settings, communicate emotions and conduct a journey through verse long adventures, with either comforting or confronting choruses, to the inevitable moral filled conclusion and all in 3 minutes. Slaid is as good as it gets at this, and what is even better, from the point of view of an ardent gig goer, the hard working Cleaves ( whos musical trail started busking in Cork in the mid 80's where he was a student ) can still be found touring 10 months of the year and will in any given year be at a venue near you.

Though if this album is as user friendly as I suspect it is, and given some breaks, it can't be long until he will only be available live, as a dot at the end of some warehouse for £30 a ticket, see him while you can!

tracks:

01 Wishbones .... a jaunty guitar driven careworn but optimistic tale
02 Road Too Long.... a standard RnB truckers tune (six day in this mode but I'm going to get a hit this time)
03 Drinkin' Days.... His drinking days are over but he's still in trouble, bad luck doesn't always come in a bottle. The sequel to Horse Shoe lounge from Broke Down
04 Sinner's Prayer.... Blues tune, in a Peter Green style, a lament for the lost life.
05 Tiger Tom Dixon's Blues.... Reforged collaboration with his pall Rod Picott, the boxers tale
06 Below.... Nostalgic piece of childhood and childhood places both lost never to be seen again.
07 Quick as Dreams... The old timer Jocky's recollection, riding the thoroughbreds, in the racing hey day
08 Horses.... Moonshine Willie's tale, in a Jimmy Rogers style
09 Hearts Break.... Shuffering Blues and home spun philosophy, my favourite track.
10 Borderline.... Heartbreaking tale of a disenfranchised migrant worker
11 New Year's Day.... A Cajun feel good farewell to a friend

Rob Ellen

Slaid has another great one.......2004-07-30

Slaid Cleaves is a great talent. His songs are sad but somehow when he sings them they come out beautiful and moving rather than depressing. I bought my first CD of his after hearing a live performance about 3 years ago. I quickly found that it was the CD that I played the most. 3 years later, I still play that CD and all his others more than any in my collection. He is also a great live performer. I have added Wishbones to my Slaid "playlist" on my computer (after legitimately purchasing it) and can tell that it will wear as well as the previous CD's.

BTW, the reviewer above (a music fan) who gave the CD one star and wrote the scathing review, wrote almost the same words in a review of a previous CD, "Broke Down" (You can read it for yourself if you go to the "Broke Down" reviews). It seems a bit fishy that "A music fan" bought and reviewed this CD after saying that the previous CD was a waste of plastic. While everyone has the right to his/her opinion, I am guessing this person has a personal problem with Slaid (jealousy maybe????) or maybe with Rounder Records. I wouldn't put much stock in it.

Average customer rating:

Setting the record straight
David Takes the Upper hand
Okay
A True Acoustic Masterpiece
Impressive,David.

Wishbones
David Knopfler
Manufacturer: Koch Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Indie Music | Stores | Music

4-for-3 Pop | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music

4-for-3 Rock | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music

4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music
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Ship of Dreams
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ASIN: B00006SFA0
Release Date: 2002-11-12

Tracks:

A Clear Day (St Swithun's Day)
King of Ashes
Arcadie
Means of Survival
Jericho
Karla Faye
The Bones
The Snowscape Paperweight Girl
If God Could Make Angels
Genius
Nothing at all
May You Never
Shadowlands (Bonus Track)
A Clear Day (St Swithun's Day) (Unplugged) (Bonus Track)

Amazon.com

In a blindfold test, one might still confuse Dire Straits cofounder David Knopfler with his older brother. There are more than subtle differences, however. For starters, this Knopfler's vocal timbre is higher pitched. He also doesn't stick to an immediately identifiable signature guitar sound. In fact, on Wishbones, Knopfler makes as much of an impression via his piano, vibes, and mandolin work. His music is often more downbeat and melancholic, with melodies that frequently drift closer to folk and jazz than to rock. A terrific cover of John Martyn's "May You Never"--popularized by Eric Clapton--and the stinging, Scottish-inflected "Shadowlands" are as upbeat as these tracks get. The main difference, though? Whereas Mark Knopfler has often been compared to Bob Dylan in terms of sound, David lyrically recalls the younger Dylan. He's openly political on songs like "A Clear Day (St. Swithon's Day)," "Jericho," and "The Bones." And "Karla Faye," a scathing indictment of George W. Bush, addresses the first execution of a woman in Texas since the Civil War. --Bill Holdship

Customer Reviews:

Setting the record straight.......2004-09-05

Before I go into a review of the actual CD, a little bit of background needs to be set up to counter several reviews that have already been posted. First, contrary to what another reviewer has said, Mr. Knopfler is not a jerk at all. He's a very intelligent person who does take care of his fans. He makes it a point to always reply to email very timely and he's good conversation. The mistake people make is comparing him to Dire Straits and his brother Mark. There is no comparison. David is a completely different artist with his own style. He generally focuses his energy on the piano, not the guitar, which you'll notice should you pick up his albums. Though his style has changed over the years, his poetic lyrics have not. A lot of his songs are very intellectual and will make you think. "If God Could Make Angels" is a perfect example of this. Listen to it and you will start to contemplate, a skill many of us seem to have forgotten. If you've come to this album looking for a sound similar to Dire Straits, then you've made the mistake of assuming David writes in guitar driven vein of rock. He doesn't. There are many slower songs on here. "King Of Ashes", "Means of Survival", most of them are piano based lyrical ballads. Not everyone's cup of tea, but great music to just relax to. However, "A Clear Day", "The Snowscape Paperweight Girl", "May You Never", and "Shadowlands" are all very upbeat numbers. I actually prefer this version of "May You Never" to Clapton's version from his album Slowhand. The only similarity you can draw between the two Knopfler's is the sound of their voice. David though can get a little bit higher of a range, which can make a difference in the context of the song. It's best to summarize like this: if you like piano based, slower music, and enjoy some uptempo tracks with great guitar work, you'll love this album. However, if you want music that you don't have to think about the lyrics, or is a fast paced rocker of a song, then avoid this. David Knopfler does not create music for the sole purpose of gaining radio airplay. Therefore, the songs are much more artistically pleasing than most everything you hear on say...Clear Channel. Listen to the samples before you buy but overall, keep in mind that David is an awesome guy and you'll be scarce to find someone as dedicated to his fans as he is.

David Takes the Upper hand.......2004-06-22

Unlike Mark, who released the mediocre Ragpicker`s Dream which seemed more like a album for his own than for his many fans, David has blessed the Fans with a fantastic, stripped down yet Dire Straits Sound-a-like album. In fact, some of the songs are very typical the good old Dire Straits, making it my personal recommendation as the "unofficial" next Dire Straits Album, back to form.

Its Stripped Down, Bare, Pure and Honest. The Melodies and Texts are really solid, melancholic and yet feel good. To be honest, it really took me by surprise. I had not heard any David Knopfler before, I always thought of him as the "Lesser" Solo Artist compared to Mark, but now that view is completely changed. Wishbones is a great album, surpassing both Mark`s Ragpicker and Sailing to Philadelphia. Its a Shame that David doesnt get the same attention.

There are some really haunting and beautiful songs here. For that good old Dire Straits feeling, try Karla Faye(Think a Piano Version of Where do you think you`re going with a different theme), or The Bones, a really haunting and sad song, yet so beautiful in its simplicity(Performed mostly with a Piano).

For other exceptional songs, try Means of Survival, Arcadie, The Snowscape paperweight girl(Another song that could have fit right on a Dire Straits Album), Genius and the fun Shadowlands. Absolutely stunning music delivered by David here.

This album is very strongly recommended to everyone who like Dire Straits and even Mark Knopfler, as it have a decent similarity to Mark`s solo work, but with a stronger Dire Straits feeling over it, only more stripped down than Dire Straits.

More Human, More Alive.

Okay.......2003-11-17

If you like more acoustic/folky rock, you'll love this stuff. If you're looking for something a little more jazzy, you'll hate it. I just have one more thing to say...

HARRY BAGDANAVOS (spelling?) DOESN'T GET ENOUGH CREDIT. He is a really great guy and a wonderful guitarist. He co-wrote several of the songs on the album, accompanied him on every one, was the only guy to go on tour with him, and his name is only mentioned ONCE on the entire CD case--in tiny lettering on the last page of the booklet under "accompanist" (again, spelling?). Come on, Dave. Give your #2 some credit.

A True Acoustic Masterpiece.......2003-07-28

I still don't understand why people have this tendency to confuse David Knopfler with his elder brother Mark. David has always been my favourite kind of artist and with the relese of Wishbones he shines brighter than ever. For those of you who haven't listened to other David Knopfler's CD's this is a great kick-off. The atmosphere of the album is Acoustic and unplugged style except for the first single 'St. Swithun's Day' and the bonus track, 'Shadowlands'. Coproduced by his old friend Harry Bagdanovs, this is a true work of art so rarely seen of musicians these days. St. Swithun's Day is performed with Chris Rea whereas Eddi Reader (Fairport Convention lead singer) joins him on May You Never. David shines on guitars and Piano and his lyrical magic is still thrilling. This is a perfect follower to the two previously released CD's : 'The Giver' and 'Small Mercies'. Just turn the lights off and enjoy the tranquility and honesty of David Knopfler's music. But please don't think of Mark Knoplfer when you are listening to this CD. Thank you David for such a strong and perfect CD.

Impressive,David........2003-04-13

Well I really love David's songwriting,and Wishbones is a
masterpiece.14 superb songs that grows with each listening.
So go out and buy this one today.
DK forever.

Average customer rating:

David Knopfler's Masterpiece
Beautiful!! and Worth the Wait!!!!

Wishbones
David Knopfler
Manufacturer: Edel Germany
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Pop | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Rock | Imports | Stores | Music
ASIN: B00005QJNC
Release Date: 2002-02-18

Tracks:

Clear Day (St. Swithun's Day)
King of Ashes
Arcadie
Means of Survival
Jericho
Karla Faye
Bones
Snowscape Paperweight Girl
If God Could Make the Angels
Genius
Nothing at All
May You Never
Shadowlands [*]
Clear Day (St. Swithun's Day) [Unplugged Version][*]

Album Description

Long awaited solo album for the ex-Dire Straits guitarist. Guests include Eddi Reader (Fairground Attraction), Alan Clark & Chris White (Dire Straits), Phil Palmer (Robbie Williams, Eric Clapton) & Chris Rea. Includes 2 bonus tracks, 'Shadowlands' & 'A Clear Day (St. Swithuns's Day)'(Unplugged). 2001.

Album Details

The Former Dire Straits Guitarist's First Release in Six Years. Includes Guest Performances by Chris Rea on Slide Guitar and Velvet Singer Eddi Reader (Fairground Attraction). Knopfler is Backed by a Solid Rhythm Section Including Veteran Keyboardist Allan Clark (Dire Straits), Guitarist Phil Palmer (Robbie Williams, Eric Clapton, Joan Armatrading), and Bassist Hutch Hutchinson (Joe Cocker, Bonnie Raitt) this is a Welcomed Return to Form.

Customer Reviews:

David Knopfler's Masterpiece.......2002-01-13

Almost 20 years ago I was in a record store in Dallas Texas and happened to hear "Release" spinning. Being a big Dire Straits fan I bought the album immediately."Release" was David's first solo effort and my favorite until today. Today I heard his finest CD "Wishbones".The first 5 cuts on this CD just blew me
away. Flawless production. Wonderful writing and his best Vocals I have heard EVER! The 6th cut was paying homage to Carla Faye Tucker who was given the death penalty in Texas. Just when you think the CD might be winding down a great track appears at the end. It was nice to hear David cover an old Clapton tune off of "Slowhand". The cut is "May you never" and it sent chills threw me hearing it. The bonus tracks are no throw aways either with "Shadowlands" being one of my favorite cuts.
Bravo to David Knopfler for this swan song CD.

Beautiful!! and Worth the Wait!!!!.......2001-11-22

David Knopfler, founder of the great Dire Straits has finally released his eighth solo album. Always a literate songwriter, David Knopfler manages to put thought-provoking and insightful lyrics to beautiful, acoustic music. The music (nearly 59 minutes worth) on "Wishbones" lives up to the stratospheric standard set on 1993's brilliant "The Giver" and the (until now) unprecedented magnificence of David Knopfler's last album, 1994's "Small Mercies" (Note: if you can find either of these cds, do yourself a favor and buy them--you won't be disappointed).

The instrumentation on this album is much like the last two releases (by far his best in my estimation; although 1983's "Release" comes close)--and that's a good thing. Knopfler sings (and his voice continues to get better with age), plays piano (which is front and center), guitars, vibes, and mandolin. Back is the multi-talented Harry Bogdanovs on guitars, electric piano, banjo, bass (additional), and mandolin. Alan Clark shines on Hammond and Chris Rea adds his talent to the lead track, "A Clear Day (St Swithun's Day)"--a reference to the weather saint and just one example of Knopfler's literate songwriting skills. Eddi Reader contribues vocals for the album's weakest track (but by no means a weak track in and of itself), John Martyn's "May You Never" (the only track Knopfler didn't write although he co-wrote a couple tracks with Bogdanovs).

Highlights include the Celtic-infected "Jericho", the brilliant "A Clear Day" (a great single if ever there's been one), the moving, haunting, jazzy "The Bones", the thought-provoking "If God Could Make the Angels", and my personal favorite, the poignant "The Snowscape Paperweight Girl". The bonus tracks (there are two) are no throwaways either. "Shadowlands" is a rollicking tune reminiscent of 'Double Dealing' from 1985's "Behind the Lines" and the acoustic version of "A Clear Day" is a worthy contrast to the electric version.

This is an album full of beautiful melodies, brilliant lyricism, and showcases a tight band playing for the love of music. Music doesn't get much better than this. Very Highly Recommended.

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