The second half of the eighties, besides being marked by the tremendous effort put in by Mark Knopfler and his Dire Straits for the massive tour supporting "Brothers In Arms", saw the Glasgow guitarist spending his time making incessant trips in and out of numerous recording studios, never allowing himself even fleeting non-working breaks.

In the meantime, Mark Knopfler's name alone began to appear among the record store shelves where the soundtracks of "The Princess Bride" (1987) and "Last Exit to Brooklyn" (1989) came to light, as well as his participation not only as a musician but also as a producer for Willy DeVille's solo debut with "Miracle" (1987), not to forget among others, his contributions to works like "Nothing Like The Sun" (1987) by Sting, or "Primitive Dance" (1987) by Paul Brady, and why not to "Chet Atkins C.G.P." (1988), obviously by Chet Atkins. Precisely with the latter (his hero since the times of the Everly Brothers), Knopfler decides to put together an album that will be created mainly to rediscover certain situations that reflect a musical intimacy - far from the crowds gathered with the Dire Straits - which seems to belong only to a distant past.

The first contact with the creator of the Nashville Sound had been established at the time of "Stay Tuned" (1985), during which recordings the feeling that could have been simply thought of as the (re)emergence of a relationship between father and son reunited, instead led to the birth of mutual esteem and understanding that would extend until Atkins' passing in 2001. With "Neck And Neck", the two authors indulge in performing ten pieces retrieved and wisely reinterpreted, nourishing themselves with jazz, country without missing the ingredient of rock 'n' roll. What was recorded succeeds in succinctly conveying what the two guitarists try to transmit to the listener, an elegant musical ensemble where singer-songwriter and easy listening are refinedly married, avoiding falling into the trap of sounding like bland ballads strummed at a barbecue for a few close friends.

Thus, for a "Poor Boy Blues" (by Paul Kennerley, Emmylou Harris's then-husband) chosen to open the album, which explicitly recalls the familiar rhythm of "Walk of Life", the cheerful "There'll Be Some Changes Made" shows a fun interchange between the crystalline interludes (also amusing are the vocal ones) between Knopfler and Atkins that delights us with the simplicity of those harmonies that characterized his sound. "Tears" - penned by Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli - brings back the tranquility of certain jazz atmospheres that influenced their love for the instrument, while the vibrant "I'll See You In My Dreams" floats a sequence of notes in the air with supreme artistry, without indulging in particular self-indulgences, as for "Tahitian Skies" (with an undisguised quote from "Why Worry"), a true soundtrack for those who love to daydream after a long day spent making their land more fruitful. Borrowed from the brilliant and contemporary Randy Goodrum is "So Soft, Your Goodbye" where the violin by Mark O'Condor blends well with the pleasantness of the gentle guitars that hint at a revealed sadness, while with "Just One Time" there is an attempt to decently - perhaps not quite successfully - increase the rhythm until the concluding "The Next Time I'm In Town" which with its grace best manifests the gratitude Knopfler expresses towards the master, creating a piece discovered as a true tribute starting from the irrefutable text (Now it's been something seeing you again - And in this time we've had to spend - You've been so good to be around - And I thank you for that special thrill - Keep me going on until - The next

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