For me, the month has nothing to do with it, if it's Mark Knopfler, I'm buying it, whatever the month.
But, I also can't believe 10 years have gone by since this album, and me seeing Mark in Brighton. Aswell as the great songs already mentioned, I would also mention the emotional Monteleone, a fantastic tribute song.
I've always felt that to be one of his self-indulgent pieces and pretty crap at that. He'd have been better off sending it to Monte personally. The world doesn't need to know.
Songs like that do nothing for me either. Musically it's pretty and well-crafted (as usual), but that's it. Lyrically it's a nice, albeit sappy, tribute to a living luthier legend, but rather irrelevant for most people:
The chisels are calling
It's time to make sawdust
Steely reminders of things left to do
Monteleone
A mandolin's waiting for you
My finger plane's working
Gentle persuasion
I bend to the wood and I coax it to sing
Monteleone
Your new one and only will ring
Monteleone
Your new one and only will ring
The rain on the window
The snow on the gravel
The seasons go by to the songs in the wood
Too quick or too careless
It all could unravel
It so easily could
The chisels are calling
It's back for an encore
Back to the shavings that cover the floor
Monteleone
A call for more
Monteleone
A call for more