Amazon.co.uk Review
Conceived (so it was rumoured) as a riposte to the George Harrison-led
Travelling Wilburys, Mark Knopfler's one-off side-project was actually an attempt to acknowledge the importance of American country music--from bluegrass through to white gospel--in the evolution of rock and roll. Joined by fellow guitarists Brendan Croker and Steve Phillips--and by
Dire Straits keyboardist Guy Fletcher--the result was an affectionate, occasionally over-reverent collection: a showcase for acoustic guitar virtuosity and endangered notions of songcraft. In terms of mood, tracks like "Bewildered" and "Your Own Sweet Way" were not so far removed from the increasingly mellow, introspective sound of the later Dire Straits albums--though this group's smooth four-part harmonies helped overcome the inherent limitations of Knopfler's gravelly murmur. Unsurprisingly, however, it made more of an impact at home that in the US, where this brand of folksy traditionalism seemed both archaic and redundant. --
Andrew McGuire