Mark Knopfler
Sailing To Philadelphia

...a leopard cannot change its spots....

To tell the truth, it's never bothered me that the shrewd Mark Knopfler, from a certain point in his career onwards, has always sought to extend the intervals between the release of his albums, as the eagerly awaited waits have always been rewarded by the release of commendable, if not even superlative, works. This is evidenced by the valid "On Every Street" released almost six and a half years after the multi-seller "Brothers In Arms", and indeed the latter, which was released almost three years after the magnificent "Love Over Gold". "Sailing To Philadelphia" certainly does not make an exception to this established habit, considering it represents the follow-up to the decent "Golden Heart" that appeared in stores more than four years prior, precisely on March 26, 1996.

A work in which Knopfler seems to have been enlightened and endowed with a new creative spirit, which makes us appreciate him in a style closer than we might imagine, to that slick and spontaneous sound that has always distinguished the excellent level of his production, like most of his complex artistic journey. STP is a very refined album where sophistication and stylistic perfection converge, which absolutely does not have the presumption of forcing a comparison with any of the masterpieces made under the name of Dire Straits. An elegant cocktail that finds in country explorations tinged with rock and in blues with shades of folk its most frequent ingredients, the same ones that have contributed to a fluid drafting of the pieces and a natural arrangement of all the elements, which in a very sophisticated way have positively personalized the final product.

The riff of "What It Is" kicks off, a direct track in which the fluidity of the verse prepares the ground for a well-structured chorus melody like the ideal solo that follows, inducing listeners to think that the entire composition would not have looked out of place on any of the DS albums. "Sailing To Philadelphia" (inspired by the novel "Mason & Dixon" by American writer Thomas Pynch) is sung as a duet with James Taylor (who impersonates the astronomer Mason) and Knopfler (who plays the part of the Geordie Dixon), fully deploying that more musically poetic side, which has always characterized their shared and innate executive ease for one of the most enchanting tracks of this album. A mournful harmonica introduces "Balooney Again", which without much ado shows the more intimate side of the guitarist's most recent musical path, while the guitar/voice beginning of "Who's Your Baby Now" gradually transforms a rhythmic saloon ballad into a perfect synthesis between the Notting Hillbillies and those glossy country pills present on "On Every Street".

For those who have had the pleasure of exploring the "complicated Knopfler matter," they will surely have noticed that among the recurring topics in his past lyrics, there often was talk of travel (Southbound Again), development (Telegraph Road), or the attainment of awareness (Love Over Gold), just as to this day the dark "Prairie Wedding" (with the help of Paul Franklin on pedal steel) tackles the very theme of determination and the desire to reach a goal, especially if placed at the end of a tortuous path. The impeccable contribution of Van Morrison in the tender "The Last Laugh", one of those tracks so successful as to think even of the illustrious guest's involvement also in the compositional phase, a supposition clearly denied by Mark himself during interviews promoting the album. Another great author trial is represented by the Springsteen-esque "Silvertown Blues", the track that best encapsulates the personification of the American myth, through that natural narrative/musical inclination that brings back to the uniform rhythm of "Where Do You Think You're Going", where British roots and American rock converge into a single soul.

The amiable harmonies of "Sands Of Nevada" and the Mississippi blues of "Junkie Doll" are accompanied by "Speedway At Nazareth", whose initial rhythmic train, thanks to the voices of Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, anticipates a three-voice chorus to which all the instruments contribute for the drafting of a worthy sound carpet, whose praiseworthy evolution is represented by the perfect amalgam that pedal steel, violin, and guitar manage to establish in full balance, making it a truly exemplary track.

What else is there to say, a work in which the leader of the Dire Straits does not present himself as an absolute guitarist, but more as a songwriter with ample professional experience, aiming at exemplifying compositional excellence (also considering the numerous and selected guests he employed), following the path of his passions. The same path that has its roots in a smooth American rock that the group of the impeccable "Communiqué" had reinvented, tracing a musical path that today manages to have in this album a thrilling sequel to which a higher dose of vivacity certainly wouldn't have hurt.

............to still compose a good album.