All the Roadrunning (CD - 2006)

Personnel: Mark Knopfler (vocals, guitar); Mark Knopfler; Richard Bennett (guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, steel guitar); Dan Dugmore (acoustic guitar, pedal steel guitar, 6-string bass); Stuart Duncan (violin, fiddle); Jim Horn (horns); Guy Fletcher (piano, organ, keyboards, synthesizer); Jim Cox (piano, organ, keyboards); Glenn Worf (bass instrument); Danny Cummings (drums, tambourine); Bill Ware (triangle); Emmylou Harris (vocals, acoustic guitar); Paul Franklin (steel guitar); Glen Duncan (mandolin, fiddle); Steve Conn (accordion); The Memphis Horns (horns); Chad Cromwell (drums).

Audio Mixer: Chuck Ainlay.

Photographer: Fabio Lovino.

Recorded intermittently over the course of seven years, ALL THE ROADRUNNING is the collaborative project between Dire Straits guitarist and vocalist Mark Knopfler and country music luminary Emmylou Harris. While Knopfler's bluesy slow-hand picking and minimalist, muttering vocals may seem an odd match for Harris's lush, full-throated soprano, the pairing works remarkably well.

Better still is the songwriting, with the breezy back-porch opener "Beachcombing" and the stately 9/11-themed "If This Is Goodbye" among the highlights. As always, Knopfler's fluid guitar style is engaging, and it adds a shadowy, atmospheric backdrop to the roots-conscious proceedings. On the surface, ALL THE ROADRUNNING is a quiet and unassuming record, but its subtlety and grace are part of its lasting charm. minimize