All the Roadrunning by Mark Knopfler and Emmy Lou


Anyone bought this disc or heard it? It sounds like it should be a great combo.
Amazon writes, "Over the last seven years, Mark Knopfler and Emmylou Harris quietly recorded an album by stealing "a few precious hours of studio time here and there," as the ex-Dire Straits singer/guitarist puts it. Good thing they kept it largely under wraps--expectations would have pushed through the clouds, especially as Knopfler conjured 10 of the 12 cuts, and Harris, who writes potently, but little, contributed two ("Love and Happiness," "Belle Starr"). Yet now that it's here, All the Roadrunning--while beautiful--seems somehow underwhelming, and without a true centerpiece. Anyone familiar with the artists' famous catalogues would expect the repertoire to be poetic and brooding, and that Harris's ethereal soprano would add light to Knopfler's dark Prozac rumblings. But the surprise is that the album is too tame, never breaks out of its midtempo groove, and never takes any big chances.

That said, there is much to like: The marital scrapbook romp of "This Is Us," the bluesy bickering of "Right Now," the wrenching poignancy of the 9/11-inspired ballad "If This Is Goodbye." Knopfler, ever the hypnotic guitarist, turns in some thrillingly droll and laconic vocals, and Harris brings the spirited coltishness of her early work to "Belle Starr." In the end, though, this is not so much a duet album as two famously melancholy musicians singing together--at times, strikingly so. --Alanna Nash
I'd sure like to hear others opinions
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I bought this CD when it first came out. It has become a go-to album for me. The tunes are so catchy, I can't think why anyone would not like it. It is certainly among my top ten albums.
The CD I am referring to in my previous comment is "All the Road Running," but IMO all Mark Knopfler albums are well done.
Funny, I'm a big Emmy-Lou fan and like All the Road-running CD.  I want to like the Rodney Crowell ones, but somehow they leave me feeling "meh..."
Go figure?
If you like the cd, by all means pick up the DVD of the concert - Real live Roadrunning. Sound is good, great production values and the band really, really smokes it on a few of the cuts. Emmylou does the most haunting version of Red Dirt Girl I have ever heard, and Speedway to Nazareth showcases the band at full throttle. Very, very good imho.

I like this CD so much that I will look into the DVD. I'm surprised at the negative comments about "All the Road Running." It must be true that one man's trash is another man's treasure. Try listening to a few cuts on YouTube. If you like Mark Knopfler (and Emmy Lou), I think you will find a lot to like on this CD.