In sharp contrast to his last solo effort, 1996's wildly eclectic "Golden Heart," Mark Knopfler returns with a vengeance to the roots rock/folk/blues that defined his songwriting with Dire Straits. The result is "Sailing to Philadelphia," a stirring collection of tunes that can only be described as cinematic.

The driving first cut, "What It Is," oozes with imagery of Scottish nightlife and a slightly sinister undercurrent. Yet the song is thrilling; Knopfler's clean Stratocaster sound, which was his early trademark, is a joy to hear again, as his fiddle-like solos literally gallop to the fore.

The many ballads on the album are also quite atmospheric. In each lovingly crafted song, Knopfler layers varying textures and tones, and combined with his remarkable lyrics, they become little "movies" for the listener. "Prairie Wedding" evokes haunting scenes of the Old West, while "Sands of Nevada" is almost oppressive with the weary desperation of washed-up Las Vegas gamblers. The beautiful title track, a duet with James Taylor, works surprisingly well, as their vocals blend so perfectly. The best way to appreciate these gems is through headphones; every nuance adds to the experience.

The faster songs are also noteworthy. The tongue-in-cheek "Do America" sounds like a cross between "Money for Nothing," "Heavy Fuel," and "The Bug." And "Who's Your Baby Now" would certainly be the result if you tossed the Everly Brothers and the Beatles in a blender. "Junky Doll" is delightfully edgy, but "Speedway at Nazareth" is a marvel. The lyrics are sung at a snappy, bluegrass pace, but the instrumental climax roars with Knopfler's epic guitar work. His soloing here is reminiscent of the thunderous finale to "Telegraph Road," and helps to intensify images of heroic racecar drivers battling for position.

Imaginative, intelligent, and thoughtful, "Sailing to Philadelphia" will probably not appeal to the teen-pop crowd, who weren't even born when Dire Straits were in their heyday. This one's for us adults, and Mark Knopfler triumphantly proves, once again, he's still "Making Movies" with the best of 'em.

If it were possible to give the latest Mark Knopfler work six stars (or more), I definitely would! He is at his best. And while I think "Brothers in Arms" is the greatest song ever written, there are some here that give it a run for its money. 1) What It Is - Incredible lyrics, imagery; tones it down towards the end, then effectively builds it back up (vintage MK); Top notch. 2) Sailing to Philadelphia - Atmospheric; MK and James Taylor together; it doesn't get any better than that. 3) Who's Your Baby Now - Good; reminds me of a Buddy Holly song. 4) Baloney Again - Bluesy; Extremely effective guitar; excellent song. 5) The Last Laugh - With Van Morrison; very melancholy; Superb. 6) Do America - OK; Upbeat tempo; out of place, considering the other songs. 7) Silvertown Blues - Again, incredible lyrics, imagery; the most effective guitar playing in the world; May be the best song on the disc. 8) El Macho - Latiny feel; not bad, but not great either. 9) Prairie Wedding - Very atmospheric; lots of synth; Guitar lead-ins; excellent song. 10) Wanderlust - Again atmospheric, with synth; 7 on a scale of 10. 11) Speedway at Nazareth - Remarkable; starts out sounding like bluegrass, then finishes with rock guitar; only he can do something like this and make it sound good. 12) Junkie Doll - Didn't like it when I first heard it, but it is growing on me. 13) Sands of Nevada - Very atmospheric; Excellent in all respects. 14) One More Matinee - Melancholy; ends CD on a great note. (As you can see, I bought the UK version) This is one of the best CD's I have ever heard. While we don't get any of the long guitar solos (a la "Love Over Gold"), the songs themselves (melody, lyrics) more than make up for that. And there is plenty of his guitar work in every song. The Stratocaster never sounded so good.

Fans of Knopfler will love this album. The songwritng is superb with lyrics that conjure all kinds of images. He also shows his love of all kinds of music from jazz (El macho), Blues (Junkie Doll), Country(Prairie Wedding), Rock (Do America) and tremendous ballads (Last Laugh). His collaborations with James Taylor and Van Morrison are terrific. Lets not forget the tremendous guitar work. The technique is superb and subtle. This is just a great album.

I give this five stars not because it is his best work ever (in my opinion that is on "Love Over Gold" and "Brothers In Arms"), but because it is his best solo work to date, and it is very good. But remember, this is a MK solo album, not a Dire Straits album. Although to me, with just slight changes, it could be a Dire Straits record.

Upon the first listen I knew that I was hearing what would soon be one of my most listened to discs. I'm not going to run through every track, but the album is very atmospheric with much more synth work than on "Golden Heart". Also, there is none of the Celtic influence that was present on "Golden Heart". I think the overall style compares favorably with "Brothers In Arms". The album is a nice mix of Rock, Blues, and a touch of Country influence. If you enjoyed "Golden Heart", and are also a Dire Straits fan, you will like this album.

Mark Knopfler manages to conjure up wonderful memories of those heady Dire Straits days and still advance his art by an order of magnitude. Highlights: What it is - vintage 'Straits, delicious stratocaster sound - summons up memories of "tunnel of love" Sailing to Philadelphia - Great to hear James Taylor - can't wait for his upcoming album with Knopfler producing. A logical advancement for Knopfler's cinematic sensibilities Baloney Again - another cinematic pastiche, wouldn't have been out of place on "Brothers in Arms" Do America: Some have said this sounds like a "Money for Nothing" or "Heavy Fuel" derivative. Quite the contrary: a shuffling ditty more in the spirit of "Twisting by the pool" Expendable. Speedway at Nazareth: Mindblowingly evocative - will rock them on tour! Silvertown Blues: Knopfler now reduces his epics to 5 or 6 minutes, intensifies them. Reminds me of "Skateaway", "Love over Gold", but takes this sort of thing to a whole new level. Sands of Nevada: eerie and keenly observed - think "On every street". Album of the year hands down - why no grammys?