John Illsley,”Coming Up For Air”(Creek Records)- Dire Straits may have given up the ghost in 1995 but former member John Illsley is doing his level best to keep their trademark sound alive via expertly crafted albums such as this. The veteran bass player has kept a fairly low public profile since his old outfit’s sad demise but the old creative urge obviously remains strong, and Illsley’s ninth solo set is liberally peppered with atmospheric melodic rockers such as “So It Goes” and “Old Amsterdam” as guitarists Robbie McIntosh and Scott Mckeon occupy the distinctive Mark Knopfler role with rare eloquence and grace.