Illsley, John: Streets Of Heaven

John Illsley may not be a household name in the world of rock but he should be. A founder of the seminal rock band Dire Straits, this is Illsley's first solo album since his former band broke up 1995.

Illsley played a large part in that band's sound so it should come as no surprise Streets of Heaven has many elements of his former band. Illsley and his band take a low key approach to songwriting and have crafted a very good and heartfelt album. The guitar sound is dominant here much as it was in Dire Straits and it also doesn't hurt to have Mark Knopfler guesting on a couple of tracks. The rest of the band is equally proficient and although Streets of Heaven will not blow you away with complexity and excessive noodling, the musicians do a nice job in an understated way.

The songs range from mid tempo rockers to slower heartfelt ballads with the guitar being the core of Illsley's music. From the album opener "Toe the Line", a mid-tempo rocker with cleanly picked guitar to the album's last song "Foreign Land" featuring what might be Illsley's most heartfelt solo, this is a guitar album at heart. On the two tracks featuring Knopfler, the ballads "Streets of Heaven" and "Only Time Will Tell", the guitarist shows us that less is more, preferring a more reserved style; very melodic and making every note count.

Other notables include the upbeat "Tell Me" complete with Latin infused horns and rich melodian sounds and the pastoral folk-like ballad "I Thought I Saw It Coming" featuring Illsley's deep sorrowful voice that does have a Knopfler-like quality as it does throughout the disc.

It was almost like listening to a long lost Dire Straits album which is never a bad thing in my book. Illsley has produced a classy piece of music which all fans of Dire Straits should appreciate to the fullest.

Track Listing:
1. Toe the Line
2. Tell Me
3. Streets of Heaven
4. Young Girl
5. Only Time Will Tell
6. Banks of the River
7. No Way To Say Goodbye
8. I Thought I Saw It Coming
9. Is It Real
10. Big Top
11. Foreign Land

Added: October 12th 2011
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score:
Related Link: Artist's Official Site
Hits: 2074
Language: english

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