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"Sailing To Philadelphia"
Former Dire Straits leader Mark Knopfler
in his second proper solo album (he's remained preoccupied with
soundtrack work through the years) is a stirring and considered
set of transatlantic blues. The collection is bolstered by contributions
from Van Morrison ("The Last Laugh") and James Taylor
(the title track), while Knopfler's guitar playing remains fresh
and alive as he merges country and folk picking with electric
blues. But it's as a writer that he really impresses: "Baloney
Again" is a sensitive portrayal of a black gospel outfit
in Jim Crow America; the title track is an intriguing distillation
of Thomas Pynchon's doorstopper novel, Mason & Dixon; and
"Silvertown Blues" is a stirring appreciation of blue-collar
endeavor. A lovingly and honestly crafted collection, Sailing
to Philadelphia shows Knopfler remain as strong as ever. --Gavin
Martin |
Customer review from Amazon
Reviewer: Patrick Earley from USA
I thought the Dire Straits album "Brothers in Arms"
was Knopfler's last great album. But he's back on his game again
with "Sailing to Philadelphia".The opening cut "what
it is" is a real grabber that reminds me of the old dire
straits music with guitar out front driving the song.Then comes
the beautiful ballad "sailing to philadelphia", which
is a duet with James Taylor. The 2 most radio ready songs on
here are the very catchy "who's your baby now" and
"do america". Both great pop songs. But my favorites
on here are "el macho",a great driving home late at
night song. And "speedway at nazareth", which has a
slow buildup to great exchange between violin and guitar solo's.
This album has a lot of diversity, which is what makes this so
enjoyable. I think Knopfler's finally found his groove. One of
the best CDs of the year. |
Music from CD "Sailing
to Philadelphia"
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