All the Roadrunning

If there was one problem we had with ex–Dire Straits frontman Mark Knopfler’s solo stuff, it was his bone-dry voice, which couldn’t really add the color and life his tunes often deserved. He solves this problem here by inviting veteran alt-country songbird Emmylou Harris to join him for an album of duets. The gentle, rootsy songs are rarely surprising but always crisp, with Harris’ warm coos—which have always worked better in tandem than solo—weaving a beguiling spell above Knopfler’s gravelly moan and classy guitar work. It’s probably a one-off collaboration, but here’s wishing it wasn’t.