Mark Knopfler: Sailing to Philadelphia (2000)

(As published in the Times of Acadiana ... )

Mark Knopfler
Sailing to Philadelphia
(Warner Bros.)

His cameo co-vocalists this time are James Taylor and Van Morrison, his musical motifs “elegant soundtrack” and “Tulsa-time pub-rock,” and his concerns those of an Arthurian Yankee in B.B. King’s court--the lyrics of “Sailing to Philadelphia,” “Do America,” “Sands of Nevada,” and “Speedway at Nazareth” constitute a virtual travelogue of this great land of ours. As a social commentator he’s still a sucker for the obvious detail and the easy generalization, but as a tunesmith, singer, and guitar player, he earns his sultanhood of shuffle. Rating: Four blade knives out of six.