Here's a review that ran in my local paper (Hartford Courant) this morning:
MARK KNOPFLER AND EMMYLOU HARRIS
All The Roadrunning
Warner Bros.
Former Dire Straits front man Mark Knopfler and country heroine Emmylou Harris spent the last seven years slowly building the 12-track album "All the Roadrunning." It's a shame that in that time they couldn't build any chemistry.
Few things about the album, which is best described as "contemporary roots-folk," grab the listener. The first single, "This Is Us," a love story told from a reminiscing married couple, stands out for its snappy rhythm and because Knopfler is referred to as "the missing link."
Harris gets writing credit for only two songs, although one doesn't have to read the liner notes to figure out that "Belle Starr" is one of them. "So come on, make your best shot/you don't have to take the blame," she sings. "I'll be your Belle Starr/you can be my Jesse James."
The song sticks out for its mainstream country sound; it's not such a bad thing being the oddball in a set of otherwise forgettable tracks.
Harris' contribution can't save this album from mediocrity. And Knopfler, who has always been praised for his ability to transcend genres (and write movie soundtracks), brings nothing new to the table. Dire straits indeed.
- JACK CORAGGIO
