There is a comforting familiarity that inhabits the bounty of Mark Knopfler’s solo albums; one that continues to emanate from both his prolific creativity and reliable intentions.  On his latest, Down the Road Wherever, the guitarist and singer-songwriter once again seems to display no interest in, or need for, reinvention.  Yet, with his ever sharp writer’s eye for observation, he offers plenty of new motifs and vignettes to keep things interesting.  It’s a healthy journey, trafficking in enough clever wordplay and expeditious vocal phrasing to draw 16 pleasant postcards, and more than ample musicianship to color them in vividly.

The peaceful intro of the lead track, “Trapper Man,” gets turned upside-down with party-crashing drums, signaling from the outset that Knopfler has not quenched his thirst for rock-and-roll.  That trademark tone, like the coal of a master blacksmith, smolders and glows immortally, even when cycling keyboards poke through the hedge of guitars, as on “Back on the Dance Floor.”  And his unembellished vocal, lifted here and there by pollen-like background support from Imelda May, still pours out like the finest liquor. Nods of appreciation, too, go to his longtime collaborator, co-producer, and keyboardist Guy Fletcher for providing exquisite sonic clarity within the counterpoint arrangements.

Knopfler’s breadth of topics is wide, but there are some adjoining thematic threads.  He compares past and present visions of the Western U.S., singing of Stetsons and bordellos one minute; designer blinds and juicers the next.  An after-midnight cocktail trio of “When You Leave,” “Floating Away,” and “Slow Learner” echoes three decades back to his Dire Straits days of “Your Latest Trick.”  Then, there is the cheeky funk of “Nobody Does That” and the ‘60s lounge jazz of “Rear View Mirror,” with retro vibes so strong one can almost smell the perfume of the shimmying Go-Go girls. 

Bits of autobiography are scattered about, as well.  On “Just a Boy Away From Home,” Knopfler details his father’s hospital stay pairing it with jaunty New Orleans delta blues and bottleneck slide.  For the finale, he tells his own tale, recalling a hitchhike long, long ago on “Matchstick Man.”  If Knopfler is to stop here and never make another record, this last track is a lovely career travelogue and send-off.  Though the safe bet is, like many times before, there are still notes left in that guitar and ink left in that pen. ocked0 Med