Without second guitarist
David Knopfler
,
Dire Straits
began to move away from its
roots rock
origins into a jazzier variation of
country-rock
and
singer/songwriter
folk-rock
. Naturally, this means that
Mark Knopfler
's ambitions as a songwriter are growing, as the storytelling pretensions of
Making Movies
indicate. Fortunately, his skills are increasing, as the lovely
"Romeo and Juliet,"
"Tunnel of Love,"
"Skateaway"
indicate. And
is helped by a
new wave
-tinged
pop
production, which actually helps
Knopfler
's jazzy inclinations take hold. The record runs out of steam toward the end, closing with the borderline offensive
"Les Boys,"
but the remainder of
ranks among the band's finest work. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine