Adding a new rhythm guitarist,
Dire Straits
expands its sounds and ambitions on the sprawling
Love Over Gold
. In a sense, the album is their
prog rock
effort, containing only five songs, including the 14-minute opener
"Telegraph Road."
Since
Mark Knopfler
is a skilled, tasteful guitarist, he can sustain interest even throughout the languid stretches, but the long, atmospheric, instrumental passages aren't as effective as the group's tight
blues-rock
, leaving
only a fitfully engaging listen. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine