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Mark Knopfler & Emmylou Harris
All the Roadrunning
(Warner Bros./Nonesuch)
The Music Box's #12 album of 2006
First Appeared in The Music Box, May 2006, Volume 13, #5
Written by John Metzger
Despite a seven-year gestation period that found Mark Knopfler and Emmylou
Harris sporadically slipping into recording studios whenever their paths would
cross, All the Roadrunning is a surprisingly seamless set of material —
poised at the crossroads of country, folk, and blues — that plays to the
strengths of its participants. Throughout the warmly lit and deeply intimate
affair, the duo largely portray themselves as they take a decidedly mature approach
to their ruminations upon love, both lost and found. Yet, given its frequently
slow-moving gait as well as its elegantly tasteful production flourishes, the
collection also is so unassuming and effortless that initially it’s all too easy
to overlook the emotional intensity that lies beneath its surface.
Fans of Harris likely will quibble over the notion that at times on All
the Roadrunning, she’s relegated merely to providing harmony to Knopfler’s
world-weary vocals. After all, the album’s finest moments — the playful, sexual
taunts of the Cajun-flavored Red Staggerwing; the fond, familial
reflections of the jaunty This Is Us; and the mournful devastation of
If This Is Goodbye — occur whenever the pair obtain equal footing. A closer
examination, however, provides proof positive that the entirety of the effort is
impeccably crafted, finely honed, and wholly inspired.
On the opening Beachcombing, for example, Knopfler sends silvery
slivers of guitar to ripple gently across the song’s sad-eyed regrets, while
Harris’ backing vocals cinematically shift from haunting him to guiding him
home. Elsewhere, Beyond My Wildest Dreams dabbles in the sort of
blue-hued yearning that was pioneered and perfected by Roy Orbison, and the
title track’s tale of life on the road is gorgeously shaded with Celtic
intonations. Devoid of pretense, All the Roadrunning’s subtle grace and
beauty might not be immediately apparent to some, but given time, it ultimately
reveals itself to be a genuinely affecting collection of sublimely sophisticated
fare. 
All the Roadrunning is available from Amazon.com.
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Ratings
1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!
Copyright © 2006 The Music Box
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