Communiqué

AMG Review of Communiqué

William Ruhlmann
All Music Guide

Rushed out less than nine months after the surprise success of Dire Straits' self-titled debut album, the group's sophomore effort, Communiqué, continues in the same vein. Mark Knopfler and co. had established a sound (derived largely from J.J. Cale) of laid-back shuffles and intricate, bluesy guitar playing, and Communiqué provides more examples of it. "Lady Writer" (a lesser singles chart entry on both sides of the Atlantic) nearly duplicated the sound of "Sultans of Swing," even if . Communiqué sold immediately to Dire Straits' established audience, but no more, and it did not fare as well critically as its predecessor or its follow-up.