At the top of the world by than, Mark Knopfler was a hot property and artist who could have his pick of potential collaborators from biggest stars in the business - that is why is so endearing that off all the people, he chose to work with his idol Chet Atkins and give affectionate spotlight to artist for him he clearly had huge love and respect. Often these music collaborations don't go further than live jamming since record labels prefer not to gamble on financially risky projects but Knopfler had such a clout that he could pull it off and results are still beautiful.
Two guitarists - they could have been father and a son - nicely nudge each other trough collection of country-rock material and there is a perceptible warmth between them, specially as they joke and laugh in "There'll Be Some Changes Made" where elderly veteran quotes "money for nothing and the chicks for free" while Knopfler responds that groupies are not what really what they are supposed to be. As expected, there is not really a big arena hit here and it was not even Knopfler's intention - what he gave here was a genuine feel-good album that one can listen again and again, preferably on a long drive somewhere, while humming along and tapping a foot. Guys are clearly masters of their game and they feed off each other, making this one of the most enjoyable music collaborations I came across. Spiritually close to his work with The Notting Hillbillies, this album finds Knopfler doing the music he loves and as everything done with a heart, results are timeless. Nowadays, producers might make things a little more flashy but they couldn't replace sincere affection between two artists who create music for a sheer joy of it.
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