Sailing to Philadelphia

I can't get this song out of my head. A friend introduced me to a fairly recent CD by Mark Knopfler (the front man for Dire Straits and a brilliant guitarist), Sailing to Philadelphia. It's probably a sickness or a limitation on my part, but I just can't get this CD out of my head. Not a day passes without being able to play my favorite tracks from this recording. The title track, a collaboration with James Taylor, is a thing of beauty. It tells a story based on the Thomas Pynchon novel, Mason & Dixon. With Knopfler and Taylor alternating verses of the song, and backed up by a very strong group of Nashville session musicians, the song is mesmerizing. Two other favorites on this CD are Baloney Again, a bluesy ode to the challenges of being black in the Jim Crow south; and Wanderlust, a personal, slow-paced but rocking song with a great bass track.

Mark Knopfler does not have the most beautiful or resonant voice (especially when compared to James Taylor), but the deep and slightly gritty delivery really works for me. He is one of the most understated guitarists out there. If I had to choose a CD for my iPod to fly to (which I did recently), I urge you to consider Sailing to Philadelphia. You'll get hooked too!

Sorry. I've Been Busy.

Yes, I know. I've been been adding content of late. But I got busy with work and frankly, I was a bit cooked. I'd been at work on managing one of two trade shows for my employer, and for me, it's the equivalent of a space launch. It ate all of my time. And sapped all my mental and creative energy. When you go through a challenging project, everything else takes a back seat. And once completed, I often just don't want to do more than I need to for a while.

But I'm back. And working to get my focus again.