KNOPFLER, MARK

Having crafted such a singular sound for himself both in Dire Straits and as a respected film composer, it's gratifying to hear that Mark Knopfler's consummate musicianship has only gotten better on what is only his second solo album in a career that began in the mid- '70s. For SAILING TO PHILADELPHIA, Knopfler once again looks to America for inspiration, starting with the stirring title track that draws from Thomas Pynchon's fictionalized account of English adventurers/surveyors Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon and which finds James Taylor playing Mason to Knopfler's Dixon. Other numbers benefiting from this American muse are the ethereal "Sands of Nevada," the Farfisa-driven "Do America" and the low-key "Prairie Wedding" (featuring alt country stalwarts Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, who also appear on the chugging "Speedway At Nazareth"). Elsewhere, Knopfler entertains a host of famous friends throughout a slew of tasty tracks. Van Morrison duets on the laid-back "The Last Laugh" while Squeeze's Chris Difford and Glen Tilbrook add harmonies to the nostalgic twang of "Silvertown." The most impressive cameo comes from famed bluegrass fiddler Aubrey Haynie whose playing fuses with Knopfler's fat guitar tone to transform the crackling "What It Is" into the quintessential Dire Straits song.

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