When The World Knows Your Name
Los Angeles Times 7th August 1989

Deacon Blue’s name may be from a line in a Steely Dan song, but the band’s Ricky Ross seems more aligned philosophically with the rock-as-inspiration qualities of Bruce Springsteen and U2. “When the World Knows Your Name,” the group’s new Columbia album is due in stores next week and it is a convincing, eclectic affair—a bright array of moods and melodies that ranges from the near hoedown lilt of “Queen of the New Year” to the tender, reflective “Orphans.”

Ross doesn’t write about racing in the streets or small towns a la Springsteen, but he injects in the music the themes—being true to an ideal and facing up to challenges that are reminiscent of the ambition and scope of Springsteen’s work.