Sting | ||
| Allmusic Biography : After disbanding the Police at the peak of their popularity in 1984, Sting quickly established himself as a viable solo artist, one obsessed with expanding the boundaries of pop music. Sting incorporated heavy elements of jazz, classical, and worldbeat into his music, writing lyrics that were literate and self-consciously meaningful, and he was never afraid to emphasize this fact in the press. For such unabashed ambition, he was equally loved and reviled, with supporters believing that he was at the forefront of literate, intelligent rock and his critics finding his entire body of work pompous. Either way, Sting remained one of pops biggest superstars for the first ten years of his solo career, before his record sales began to slip. Before the Police were officially disbanded, Sting began work on his first solo album late in 1984, rounding up a group of jazz musicians as a supporting band. Moving from bass to guitar, he recorded his solo debut, 1985s The Dream of the Blue Turtles, with Branford Marsalis, Kenny Kirkland, and Omar Hakim. The move wasnt entirely unexpected since Sting had played with jazz and progressive rock bands in his youth, but the result was considerably more mature and diverse than any Police record. The album became a hit, with "If You Love Somebody Set Them Free," "Love Is the Seventh Wave," and "Fortress Around Your Heart" reaching the American Top Ten. Sting brought the band out on an extensive tour and filmed the proceedings for a 1986 documentary called Bring on the Night, which appeared alongside a live double album of the same name. That year, Sting participated in a half-hearted Police reunion that resulted in only one new song, a re-recorded version of "Dont Stand So Close to Me." Following the aborted Police reunion, Sting began working on the ambitious Nothing Like the Sun, which was dedicated to his recently deceased mother. Proceeding from a jazz foundation, and again collaborating with Marsalis, Sting worked with a number of different musicians on the album, including Gil Evans and former Police guitarist Andy Summers. The album received generally positive reviews upon its release in late 1987, and it generated hit singles with "Well Be Together" and "They Dance Alone." Following its release, Sting began actively campaigning for Amnesty International and environmentalism, establishing the Rainforest Foundation, which was designed to raise awareness about preserving the Brazilian rainforest. An abridged Spanish version of Nothing Like the Sun, Nada Como el Sol, was released in 1988. Sting took several years to deliver the follow-up to Nothing Like the Sun, during which time he appeared in a failed Broadway revival of The Threepenny Opera in 1989. His father also died, which inspired 1991s The Soul Cages, a dense, dark, and complex album. Although the album peaked at number two and spawned the Top Ten hit "All This Time," the record was less successful than its predecessor. Two years later, he delivered Ten Summoners Tales, a light, pop-oriented record that became a hit on the strength of two Top 20 singles, "If I Ever Lose My Faith in You" and "Fields of Gold." At the end of 1993, "All for Love," a song he recorded with Rod Stewart and Bryan Adams for The Three Musketeers, became a number one hit. The single confirmed that Stings audience had shifted from new wave/college rock fans to adult contemporary, and the 1994 compilation Fields of Gold: The Best of Sting played to that new fan base. Three years after Ten Summoners Tales, Sting released Mercury Falling in the spring of 1996. Although the album debuted highly, it quickly fell down the charts, stalling at platinum sales and failing to generate a hit single. Although the album failed, Sting remained a popular concert attraction, a feat that confirmed his immense popularity regardless of his chart status. Released in 1999, Brand New Day turned his commercial fortunes around in a big way, though, eventually going triple-platinum and earning two Grammy Awards. Issued in 2003, Sacred Love also did well, and Sting spent several years with the reunited Police before returning to his solo game for 2009s If on a Winters Night.... One year later, he hit the road alongside the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra, who added their own symphonic arrangements to his material. Symphonicities, a companion CD, and Live in Berlin, released in conjunction with the world tour, arrived that same year. After several years of work, Sting completed his musical The Last Ship in 2013. Initially, he introduced the piece as a solo album released in September of 2013, but the musical -- set in a struggling shipyard in the 80s -- made its Broadway debut in 2014. Sting spent the next two years touring, sometimes co-headlining with Paul Simon, and then in late 2016 he released 57th & 9th, his first album of pop songs in 13 years. The album was recorded in a few weeks with contributions from a pair of long-time collaborators, guitarist Dominic Miller and drummer Vinnie Colaiuta, plus drummer Josh Freese and guitarist Lyle Workman. In 2017, Sting was honored alongside Wayne Shorter and Metallica with the Polar Music Prize, an annual award originating from Sweden recognizing greatness in the world of music. 2018 brought an unlikely pairing as Sting issued a joint reggae album with Jamaican singer Shaggy. Obliquely titled 44/876 after the two musicians country calling codes, it marked Stings first-ever collaborative duo album as well as his return to the U.K. Top Ten chart; the album also went Gold in France. Sting reworked several standards from his past on 2019s My Songs. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 29 Title: The Dream of the Blue Turtles Released: 1985-06-01 Tracks: 10 Duration: 41:40 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 If You Love Somebody Set Them Free (04:15) 2 Love Is the Seventh Wave (03:32) 3 Russians (03:58) 4 Childrens Crusade (05:01) 5 Shadows in the Rain (04:51) 6 We Work the Black Seam (05:42) 7 Consider Me Gone (04:21) 8 The Dream of the Blue Turtles (01:17) 9 Moon Over Bourbon Street (04:00) 10 Fortress Around Your Heart (04:39) |
| The Dream of the Blue Turtles : Allmusic album Review : The Police never really broke up, they just stopped working together -- largely because they just couldnt stand playing together anymore and partially because Sting was itching to establish himself as a serious musician/songwriter on his own terms. Anxious to shed the mantle of pop star, he camped out at Eddy Grants studio, picked up the guitar, and raided Wynton Marsalis band for his new combo -- thereby instantly consigning his solo debut, The Dream of the Blue Turtles, to the critical shorthand of Stings jazz record. Which is partially true (thats probably the best name for the meandering instrumental title track), but that gives the impression that this is really risky music, when he did, after all, rely on musicians who, at that stage, were revivalists just developing their own style, and then had them jam on mock-jazz grooves -- or, in the case of Branford Marsalis, layer soprano sax lines on top of pop songs. This, however, is just the beginning of the pretensions layered throughout The Dream of the Blue Turtles. Only twice does he delve into straightforward love songs -- the lovely measured "Consider Me Gone" and the mournful closer, "Fortress Around Your Heart" -- preferring to consider love in the abstract ("If You Love Somebody Set Them Free," one of his greatest solo singles, and the childish, faux-reggae singalong "Love Is the Seventh Wave"), write about children in war and in coal mines, revive a Police tune about heroin, ponder whether "Russians love their children too," and wander the streets of New Orleans as the vampire Lestat. This is a serious-minded album, but its undercut by its very approach -- the glossy fusion that coats the entire album, the occasional grabs at worldbeat, and studious lyrics seem less pretentious largely because theyre overshadowed by such bewilderingly showy moves as adapting Prokofiev for "Russians" and calling upon Anne Rice for inspiration. And thats the problem with the record: with every measure, every verse, Sting cries out for the respect of a composer, not a pop star, and it gets to be a little overwhelming when taken as a whole. As a handful of individual cuts -- "Fortress," "Consider Me Gone," "If You Love Somebody," "Childrens Crusade" -- he proves that hes subtler and craftier than his peers, but only when he reins in his desire to show the class how much hes learned. | ||
 | Album: 2 of 29 Title: Bring On the Night Released: 1986-01-01 Tracks: 13 Duration: 1:22:56 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Bring On the Night / When the World Is Running Down You Make the Best of What’s Still Around (11:42) 2 Consider Me Gone (04:54) 3 Low Life (04:06) 4 We Work the Black Seam (06:59) 5 Driven to Tears (07:00) 6 The Dream of the Blue Turtles / Demolition Man (05:55) 1 One World (Not Three) / Love Is the Seventh Wave (11:12) 2 Moon Over Bourbon Street (04:25) 3 I Burn for You (05:26) 4 Another Day (04:44) 5 Children’s Crusade (05:30) 6 Down So Long (04:36) 7 Tea in the Sahara (06:25) |
| Bring On the Night : Allmusic album Review : Sting really got carried away with the idea that his supporting crew for Dream of the Blue Turtles was a real jazz band, and technically, he was kind of right. He did pluck them straight out of Wynton Marsalis backing band (thereby angering Wynton and emboldening his anti-rock stance, while flaring up a sibling rivalry between the trumpeter and his saxophonist brother Branford -- a veritable hat trick, that), and since he was initially a jazz bassist, it seemed like a good fit. At the very least, it seemed like a monumental occasion because he documented the entire development of the band and making of Dream with a documentary called Bring on the Night, releasing a double live album as its soundtrack just a year after the debut hit the stores. This could be called hubris (and it will be called that here), especially because the appearance of the live album feels like a way of showcasing Stings jazz band and jazz chops. Most of the songs run around five minutes long and there are no less than three medleys, two of which marry an old Police number with a tune from Dream. Arriving as a second solo album, it cant help but feel a little unnecessary, even if the loose, rather infectious performances show what Sting was trying to achieve with his debut. Even so, this is a record for the cult, and while it will satisfy them, to others it will seem like, well, hubris. | ||
 | Album: 3 of 29 Title: …Nothing Like the Sun Released: 1987-10-01 Tracks: 12 Duration: 55:07 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 The Lazarus Heart (04:35) 2 Be Still My Beating Heart (05:34) 3 Englishman in New York (04:27) 4 History Will Teach Us Nothing (04:58) 5 They Dance Alone (Cueca solo) (07:15) 6 Fragile (03:54) 1 We’ll Be Together (04:55) 2 Straight to My Heart (03:54) 3 Rock Steady (04:28) 4 Sister Moon (03:46) 5 Little Wing (05:11) 6 The Secret Marriage (02:04) |
| …Nothing Like the Sun : Allmusic album Review : If Dream of the Blue Turtles was an unabashedly pretentious affair, it looks positively lighthearted in comparison to Stings sophomore effort, Nothing Like the Sun, one of the most doggedly serious pop albums ever recorded. This is an album where the only up-tempo track, the only trifle -- the cheerfully stiff white-funk "Well Be Together" -- was added at the insistence of the label because they believed there wasnt a cut on the record that could be pulled as a single, one that would break down the doors to mainstream radio. And they were right, since everything else here is too measured, calm, and deliberately subtle to be immediate (including the intentional throwaway, "Rock Steady"). So, why is it a better album than its predecessor? Because Sting doesnt seem to be trying so hard. It flows naturally, largely because this isnt trying to explicitly be a jazz-rock record (thank the presence of a new rhythm section of Sting and drummer Manu Katche for that) and because the melodies are insinuating, slowly working their way into memory, while the entire record plays like a mood piece -- playing equally well as background music or as intensive, serious listening. Stings words can still grate -- the stifling pompousness of "History Will Teach Us Nothing" the clearest example, yet calls of "Hey Mr. Pinochet" also strike an uneasy chord -- but his lyricism shines on "The Lazarus Heart," "Be Still My Beating Heart," "They Dance Alone," and "Fragile," a quartet of his very finest songs. If Nothing Like the Sun runs a little too long, with only his Gil Evans-assisted cover of "Little Wing" standing out in the final quarter, it still maintains its tone until the end and, since its buoyed by those previously mentioned stunners, its one of his better albums. | ||
 | Album: 4 of 29 Title: Compact Hits Released: 1988 Tracks: 4 Duration: 16:45 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Englishman in New York (04:27) 2 If You Love Somebody Set Them Free (04:15) 3 Someone to Watch Over Me (04:35) 4 Spread a Little Happiness (03:27) |
 | Album: 5 of 29 Title: The Soldiers Tale Released: 1988 Tracks: 18 Duration: 57:50 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 The Soldiers Tale: The Soldiers March - Always on Trek (02:21) 2 The Soldiers Tale: Airs by a Stream - A little old man approaches (07:04) 3 The Soldiers Tale: The Soldiers March (Reprise) - Were home at last (04:06) 4 The Soldiers Tale: Pastorale - Ah! You dirty cheat (05:25) 5 The Soldiers Tale: Pastorale (Reprise) - He took up the book (02:54) 6 The Soldiers Tale: Airs by a Stream (Reprise) - They have nothing (04:52) 7 The Soldiers Tale: Airs by a Stream (Reprise) (00:55) 8 The Soldiers Tale: The Soldiers March - Now he comes to another land (03:32) 9 The Soldiers Tale: The Royal March - They gave the word for the band to play (07:28) 10 The Soldiers Tale: The Little Concert (03:01) 11 The Soldiers Tale: Three Dances: Tango (02:05) 12 The Soldiers Tale: Three Dances: Waltz (01:57) 13 The Soldiers Tale: Three Dances: Ragtime (02:17) 14 The Soldiers Tale: The Devils Dance (01:24) 15 The Soldiers Tale: Little Chorale (00:38) 16 The Soldiers Tale: The Devils Song (00:38) 17 The Soldiers Tale: The Great Chorale - Suppose, suppose we went then (04:59) 18 The Soldiers Tale: Triumphal March of the Devil (02:07) |
 | Album: 6 of 29 Title: Peter and the Wolf / Classical Symphony / Overture on Hebrew Themes / March Released: 1991-01-14 Tracks: 16 Duration: 50:08 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 March in B-flat major, op. 99 (arranged for chamber orchestra): Allegro (02:34) 2 Peter and the Wolf, op. 67: “Let me tell you a story.” (02:39) 3 Peter and the Wolf, op. 67: “Early one morning Peter opened the gate …” Andantino (00:56) 4 Peter and the Wolf, op. 67: “On a branch of a big tree sat a little bird, Peter’s friend.” Allegro – Andantino, come prima (01:25) 5 Peter and the Wolf, op. 67: “Just then a duck came waddling around.” L’istesso tempo (02:11) 6 Peter and the Wolf, op. 67: “Suddenly something caught Peter’s attention: he noticed a cat …” Moderato – Allegro, ma non troppo – Moderato (01:43) 7 Peter and the Wolf, op. 67: “Grandfather came out.” Poco più andante – Andantino, come prima – Andante (02:13) 8 Peter and the Wolf, op. 67: “No sooner had Peter gone, than a big grey wolf came out of the forest.” Andante molto – Nervoso – Allegro – Meno mosso – Andante – Allegretto – Moderato (04:12) 9 Peter and the Wolf, op. 67: “Peter, in the meantime, stood behind the closed gate …” Andantino, come prima – Vivo – Andante molto – Vivo – Andante (02:28) 10 Peter and the Wolf, op. 67: “Meanwhile, Peter made a lasso with his rope, carefully letting it down.” Poco meno mosso – Moderato (meno mosso) (01:35) 11 Peter and the Wolf, op. 67: “Just then … out of the woods came the hunters.” Allegro moderato – Andante – Moderato – Poco più mosso (Allegro moderato) – Sostenuto – L’istesso tempo – Poco più mosso – Andante – Allegro (06:49) 12 Overture on Hebrew Themes, op. 34b: Un poco allegro (08:01) 13 Classical Symphony in D major, op. 25: I. Allegro (04:16) 14 Classical Symphony in D major, op. 25: II. Larghetto (03:46) 15 Symphonie classique, op. 25: III. Gavotta. Non troppo allegro (01:23) 16 Symphonie classique, op. 25: IV. Finale. Molto vivace (03:49) |
 | Album: 7 of 29 Title: The Soul Cages Released: 1991-01-17 Tracks: 9 Duration: 48:16 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Island of Souls (06:41) 2 All This Time (04:55) 3 Mad About You (03:53) 4 Jeremiah Blues, Part 1 (04:54) 5 Why Should I Cry for You? (04:46) 6 Saint Agnes and the Burning Train (02:43) 7 The Wild Wild Sea (06:41) 8 The Soul Cages (05:52) 9 When the Angels Fall (07:48) |
| The Soul Cages : Allmusic album Review : Emboldened by the enthusiastic response to the muted Nothing Like the Sun and reeling from the loss of his parents, Sting constructed The Soul Cages as a hushed mediation on mortality, loss, grief, and father/son relationships (the album is dedicated, in part, to his father; its predecessor was dedicated to his mother). Using the same basic band as Nothing Like the Sun, the album has the same supple, luxurious tone, stretching out leisurely over nine tracks, almost all of them layered mid-tempo tunes (the exception being grinding guitars of the title track). Within this setting, Sting hits a few remarkable peaks, such as the elegant waltz "Mad About You" and "All This Time," a deceptively skipping pop tune that hides a moving tribute to his father. If the entirety of The Soul Cages was as nimbly melodic and urgently emotional as these two cuts, it would have been a quiet masterpiece. Instead, it turns inward -- not just lyrically, but musically -- and plays as a diary entry, perhaps interesting to those willing to spend hours immersing themselves within Stings loss, finding parallels within their own life. This may be too much effort for anyone outside of the devoted, since apart from those two singles (and perhaps "Why Should I Cry for You"), there are few entry points into The Soul Cages -- and, once you get in there, it only rewards if your emotional state mirrors Stings. | ||
 | Album: 8 of 29 Title: Ten Summoner’s Tales Released: 1993-02-28 Tracks: 11 Duration: 48:36 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 If I Ever Lose My Faith in You (04:31) 2 Love Is Stronger Than Justice (The Munificent Seven) (05:11) 3 Fields of Gold (03:40) 4 Heavy Cloud No Rain (03:47) 5 She’s Too Good for Me (02:30) 6 Seven Days (04:39) 7 Saint Augustine in Hell (05:17) 8 It’s Probably Me (05:09) 9 Shape of My Heart (04:38) 10 Something the Boy Said (05:28) 11 Epilogue (Nothing ’Bout Me) (03:41) |
| Ten Summoner’s Tales : Allmusic album Review : After two albums of muted, mature jazz-inflected pop, the last being an explicit album about death, Sting created his first unapologetically pop album since the Police with Ten Summoners Tales. The title, a rather awkward pun on his given last name, is significant, since it emphasizes that this album is a collection of songs, without any musical conceits or lyrical concepts tying it together. And, frankly, thats a bit of a relief after the oppressively somber The Soul Cages and the hushed though lovely, Nothing Like the Sun. Sting even loosens up enough to crack jokes, both clever (the winking litany of celebrity pains of "Epilogue [Nothing Bout Me]") and condescending (the sneeringly catchy cowboy tale "Love Is Stronger Than Justice [The Munificent Seven]"), and the result is his best solo record. In places, its easily as pretentious as his earlier work, but thats undercut by writing that hasnt been this sharp and melodic since the Police, plus his most varied set of songs since Synchronicity. True, there isnt a preponderance of flat-out classics -- only the surging opener "If I Ever Lose My Faith in You," the understated swing of "Its Probably Me," and the peaceful ballad "Fields of Gold" rank as classics -- but, as an album, Ten Summoners Tales is more consistently satisfying than anything else in his catalog. | ||
 | Album: 9 of 29 Title: Fields of Gold: The Best of Sting 1984–1994 Released: 1994-11-07 Tracks: 14 Duration: 1:06:48 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 When We Dance (05:59) 2 If You Love Somebody Set Them Free (04:15) 3 Fields of Gold (03:40) 4 All This Time (04:55) 5 Fortress Around Your Heart (04:39) 6 Be Still My Beating Heart (05:34) 7 They Dance Alone (Cueca solo) (07:15) 8 If I Ever Lose My Faith in You (04:31) 9 Fragile (03:54) 10 Why Should I Cry for You? (04:46) 11 Englishman in New York (04:27) 12 Well Be Together (03:50) 13 Russians (03:58) 14 This Cowboy Song (04:59) |
| Fields of Gold: The Best of Sting 1984–1994 : Allmusic album Review : Early in his solo career, Sting defined himself as a man of taste, choosing to work with jazz musicians instead of rockers. Inevitably, this meant he walked the thin line between sophisticated pop and adult contemporary, but he did it with grace from 1985s Dream of the Blue Turtles to 1993s Ten Summoners Tales. Unfortunately, Fields of Gold: The Best of Sting doesnt illustrate what a deft trick he pulled off with that quartet of albums. Naturally, Fields of Gold concentrates on his hit singles, just like any other greatest-hits collection, but Stings material sounds surprisingly tame in this context. Sure, there is a number of great songs here -- enough to state his case as a fine songwriter or to satisfy his casual fans. Still, these songs are safe choices and all share a similarly tranquil quality, which means the collection itself becomes a little monotonous. Nevertheless, Fields of Gold performs the necessary service of rounding up all of the big hits -- "If You Love Somebody Set Them Free," "All This Time," "Fortress Around Your Heart," "They Dance Alone," "If Ever Lose My Faith in You," "Fragile," and an alternate version of "Well Be Together" -- and offering them on one disc, which is reason enough to make it worthwhile, even with its flaws. | ||
 | Album: 10 of 29 Title: Mercury Falling Released: 1996-03-08 Tracks: 11 Duration: 52:23 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 The Hounds of Winter (05:26) 2 I Hung My Head (04:40) 3 Let Your Soul Be Your Pilot (06:43) 4 I Was Brought to My Senses (05:50) 5 You Still Touch Me (03:46) 6 I’m So Happy I Can’t Stop Crying (03:57) 7 All Four Seasons (04:28) 8 Twenty Five to Midnight (04:08) 9 La Belle Dame sans regrets (05:16) 10 Valparaiso (05:27) 11 Lithium Sunset (02:37) |
| Mercury Falling : Allmusic album Review : Falling somewhere between the pop sensibilities of Ten Summoners Tales and the searching ambition of The Soul Cages, Mercury Falling is one of Stings tighter records, even if it fails to compel as much as his previous solo albums. Though he doesnt flaunt his jazz aspirations as he did in the mid-80s, Mercury Falling feels more serious than The Dream of the Blue Turtles, primarily because of its reserved, high-class production and execution. Building from surprisingly simple, memorable melodies, Sting creates multi-layered, vaguely soul-influenced arrangements that carry all of the hallmarks of someone who has studied music, not lived it. Of course, there are many pleasures in the record -- for all of his pretensions, Sting remains an engaging melodicist, as well as a clever lyricist. There just happens to be a distinct lack of energy, stemming from the suffocating layers of synthesizers. Mercury Falling is a record of modest pleasures; its just not an infectious, compulsive listen. | ||
 | Album: 11 of 29 Title: At the Movies Released: 1997-11-06 Tracks: 17 Duration: 1:16:07 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 De Do Do Do, De Da Da (04:07) 2 I Burn for You (04:49) 3 Need Your Love So Bad (05:12) 4 Englishman in New York (04:27) 5 Someone to Watch Over Me (04:35) 6 Demolition Man (05:28) 7 Shape of My Heart (04:38) 8 All for Love (04:42) 9 The Secret Marriage (02:04) 10 This Cowboy Song (04:59) 11 Its Probably Me (05:00) 12 Angel Eyes (04:02) 13 Moonlight (05:21) 14 My One and Only Love (03:37) 15 Fragile (02:53) 16 Murder by Numbers (04:40) 17 Valparaiso (05:27) |
| At the Movies : Allmusic album Review : This Japanese import collects 18 tracks from Stings numerous film contributions, few of which ever achieved the popularity of his album cuts. Its an odd assortment that leaves out recent successes such as his Oscar-nominated work on Cold Mountain, and theres nothing here from 1982s excellent Brimstone & Treacle soundtrack, one of the artists first forays into a solo career. My Funny Valentine: Sting at the Movies isnt dreadful, but it will probably appeal to die-hard fans only. | ||
 | Album: 12 of 29 Title: The Very Best of Sting & The Police Released: 1997-11-10 Tracks: 18 Duration: 1:18:30 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Message in a Bottle (04:51) 2 Can’t Stand Losing You (03:01) 3 Englishman in New York (04:27) 4 Every Breath You Take (04:13) 5 Seven Days (04:39) 6 Walking on the Moon (05:02) 7 Fields of Gold (03:40) 8 Fragile (03:54) 9 Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic (04:20) 10 De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da (04:08) 11 If You Love Somebody Set Them Free (04:15) 12 Brand New Day (06:20) 13 Desert Rose (04:45) 14 If I Ever Lose My Faith in You (04:28) 15 When We Dance (edit) (04:17) 16 Don’t Stand So Close to Me (04:01) 17 Roxanne (03:12) 18 So Lonely (04:49) |
| The Very Best of Sting & The Police : Allmusic album Review : In the summer of 1997, Puff Daddy took "Ill Be Missing You," a sappy reworking of "Every Breath You Take," to the top of the charts across the world; it became the biggest rap single in history. The success of "Ill Be Missing You" had the bizarre byproduct of making the Police hip again among both rock and rap artists. So, what better way to celebrate the occasion -- as well as the 20th anniversary of the Polices first album -- than to release another compilation, this time combining highlights from the Police and Stings solo career? The Very Best of Sting & the Police does just that, combining 14 songs -- not necessarily his biggest hits, either -- in a seemingly random chronological order. The Police cuts are generally classics ("Message in a Bottle," "Cant Stand Losing You," "Every Breath You Take," "Walking on the Moon," "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic," "Dont Stand so Close to Me," "Roxanne"), but there are several big hits left off, which should probably be expected for an integrated collection like this. What does come as a surprise is the solo material. Theres plenty of good music on his records, but the selection here emphasizes his MOR side, relying on songs like "Fields of Gold," "Englishman in New York," "Let Your Soul Be Your Pilot," "Russians," and "If I Ever Lose My Faith in You," instead of some of his more ambitious material. Obviously, that selection is designed to snag a mature, thirty-something audience, which makes the inclusion of Puff Daddys remix of "Roxanne" (included in both its original and remixed incarnations) a little puzzling, since that strives to appeal to a younger audience. Then again, you dont really expect coherence from a collection that simply wants to cash in at the right moment. While its hard to ignore the fact that this disc isnt necessary, the music itself is good, and certain casual fans may find this useful, but anyone following Sting or the Police for any length of time will find The Very Best Of superfluous. | ||
 | Album: 13 of 29 Title: Brand New Day Released: 1999-09-22 Tracks: 11 Duration: 53:44 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 A Thousand Years (05:57) 2 Desert Rose (04:45) 3 Big Lie Small World (05:05) 4 After the Rain Has Fallen (05:03) 5 Perfect Love… Gone Wrong (05:25) 6 Tomorrow We’ll See (04:48) 7 Prelude to the End of the Game (00:20) 8 Fill Her Up (05:38) 9 Ghost Story (05:29) 10 Brand New Day (06:20) 11 Desert Rose (Calderone remix) (04:50) |
| Brand New Day : Allmusic album Review : By the late 90s, Sting had reached a point where he didnt have to prove his worth every time out; he had so ingrained himself in pop culture, he really had the freedom to do whatever he wanted. He had that attitude on Mercury Falling, but it was too somber and serious, everything that its successor, Brand New Day, is not. Light, even effervescent, Brand New Day feels like little else in Stings catalog. Not that it represents a new beginning, contrary to what the title may promise. The album is not only firmly within his tradition, it sounds out of time -- its odd how close Brand New Day comes to feeling like a sequel to Nothing Like the Sun. Musically, that is. The sparkling, meticulous production and the very tone of the music -- ranging from light funk to mellow ballads to the Lyle Lovett tribute "Fill Her Up" -- are of a piece with Stings late-80s work. Thats the main thing separating it from Ten Summoners Tales, his other straight pop album -- well, that, and the levity. There are no overarching themes, no political messages on Brand New Day -- only love songs, story songs, and, for lack of a better term, inspirational exhortations. This is all a good thing, since by keeping things light hes managed to craft an appealing, engaging record. It may not ask as much from its audience as Stings other 90s efforts, but its immediately enjoyable, which isnt the case for its cousins. Brand New Day doesnt boast any new classics, and it does sound a little dated, but its well-crafted, melodic, and has a good sense of humor -- exactly the kind of record Sting should be making as he embarks on the third decade of his career. | ||
 | Album: 14 of 29 Title: Still Be Love in the World Released: 2001-03-01 Tracks: 7 Duration: 35:05 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 After the Rain Has Fallen (live) (04:40) 2 A Thousand Years (Nitin Sawhney mix) (05:23) 3 Perfect Love... Gone Wrong (live) (06:20) 4 Every Breath You Take (live) (04:25) 5 Fragile (live) (04:05) 6 Brand New Day (Cornelius mix) (05:25) 7 Desert Rose (Melodic club mix radio edit) (04:44) |
 | Album: 15 of 29 Title: Andrea Griminelli’s Cinema Italiano: A New Interpretation of Italian Film Music Released: 2001-09-10 Tracks: 14 Duration: 55:44 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 My Heart and I (04:28) 2 Ai giochi addio (03:48) 3 Youll Come to Me (03:08) 4 The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (02:57) 5 Mediterraneo (main theme) (04:05) 6 Fratello sole, sorella luna (04:49) 7 Cinema Paradiso (03:29) 8 La vita è bella (02:56) 9 Gabriels Oboe (02:33) 10 Malafemmina (05:07) 11 When Loves Comes By (03:50) 12 Parla più piano (03:26) 13 Concerto for Orchestra (04:47) 14 Felini Classics Orchestral Suite (06:15) |
 | Album: 16 of 29 Title: Songs of Love (Victorias Secret Exclusive) Released: 2003 Tracks: 8 Duration: 42:05 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Sacred Love (05:43) 2 When We Dance (05:59) 3 Mad About You (03:53) 4 They Dance Alone (Cueca solo) (07:15) 5 You Still Touch Me (03:46) 6 Fortress Around Your Heart (04:39) 7 Ghost Story (05:29) 8 I Burn for You (05:18) |
 | Album: 17 of 29 Title: Sacred Love Released: 2003-09-10 Tracks: 11 Duration: 55:54 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Inside (04:47) 2 Send Your Love (04:38) 3 Whenever I Say Your Name (05:27) 4 Dead Man’s Rope (05:43) 5 Never Coming Home (04:59) 6 Stolen Car (Take Me Dancing) (03:58) 7 Forget About the Future (05:12) 8 This War (05:30) 9 The Book of My Life (06:16) 10 Sacred Love (06:02) 11 Send Your Love (Dave Audé remix) (03:17) |
| Sacred Love : Allmusic album Review : Sting scored a moderate comeback success greater than most had imagined possible with 1999s Brand New Day, reestablishing himself as a viable commercial artist instead of merely settling for "living legend" status. Part of this success was due to "Desert Rose," featuring vocalist Farhat Bouallaguis careening cadences that garnered attention, particularly when they were showcased in a car commercial that kicked the album into high commercial gear. Sting picks up on this, adding three guest vocalists to the ten-track Sacred Love album (the 11th track is a remix of the lead single, "Send Your Love" -- which happens to be better, since it eliminates the rather annoying Indian-styled hook) -- Vicente Amigo and Anoushka Shankar are paired with Mary J. Blige, who in this context is presented as a world music artist. None of the guests makes much of an impression here, but neither does Sting, since this is an album that puts sound over song or performance. Sacred Love is to Brand New Day what Mercury Falling was to Ten Summoners Tales -- a fussy, overworked stab at maturity, one that has impeccable craft but is obscured by its own meticulousness. It is professional to a fault, using its maturity and preciseness to obscure the fact that the songs dont really work. Sting isnt always hemmed-in, even ending "Inside" with a hysterical rant that makes him seem like a madman, but it has the effect of making the rest of the album seeming too deliberate and far from adventurous. Its far from a bad listen, nor is it embarrassing, but its entirely too predictable, coming across as nothing more than well-tailored, expensive mood music, which is certainly far less than what Sacred Love could have been. | ||
 | Album: 18 of 29 Title: My Funny Valentine: At the Movies Released: 2005-03-23 Tracks: 18 Duration: 1:18:33 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 My Funny Valentine (04:54) 2 Englishman in New York (04:27) 3 Shape of My Heart (04:38) 4 Windmills of Your Mind (04:17) 5 My Funny Friend and Me (04:38) 6 The Mighty (remix version) (03:34) 7 Until (03:10) 8 All for Love (04:42) 9 The Secret Marriage (02:05) 10 Someone to Watch Over Me (04:35) 11 Its Probably Me (05:00) 12 Angel Eyes (04:02) 13 Moonlight (05:21) 14 My One and Only Love (03:37) 15 Fragile (03:54) 16 Murder by Numbers (04:36) 17 Valparaiso (05:27) 18 Demolition Man (05:28) |
 | Album: 19 of 29 Title: Songs From the Labyrinth Released: 2006-10-06 Tracks: 26 Duration: 1:00:36 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Walsingham (00:38) 2 Can She Excuse My Wrongs? (02:35) 3 "Ryght Honorable: As I Have Bin Most Bounde Unto Your Honor..." (00:40) 4 Flow My Tears (Lachrimae) (04:42) 5 Have You Seen the Bright Lily Grow (02:35) 6 "...Then in Time Passing on Mr. Johnson Died..." (00:32) 7 The Most High and Mighty Christianus the Fourth, King of Denmark, His Galliard (03:01) 8 The Lowest Trees Have Tops (02:16) 9 "...And Accordinge as I Desired Ther Cam a Letter..." (00:55) 10 Fine Knacks for Ladies (01:50) 11 "...From Thence I Went to the Landgrave of Hessen..." (00:24) 12 Fantasy (02:42) 13 Come, Heavy Sleep (03:45) 14 Forlorn Hope Fancy (03:07) 15 "...And From Thence I Had Great Desire to See Italy..." (00:28) 16 Come Again (02:56) 17 Wilt Tou Unkind Thus Reave Me (02:40) 18 "...After My Departure I Caled to Mynde Our Conference..." (00:29) 19 Weep You No More, Sad Fountains (02:38) 20 My Lord Willoughbys Welcome Home (01:34) 21 Clear or Cloudy (02:47) 22 "...Men Say That the Kinge of Spain Is Making Gret Preparation..." (01:01) 23 In Darkness Let Me Dwell (04:10) 24 Fields of Gold (03:36) 25 Message in a Bottle (live) (05:40) 26 In Darkness Let Me Dwell (live) (02:41) |
| Songs From the Labyrinth : Allmusic album Review : Casual pronouncements are made every so often that the lute songs (the lute is a plucked stringed instrument, an early cousin to the guitar) and madrigals of Elizabethan and Jacobean England were the popular music of their day. And Sting, who alludes to the likes of Vladimir Nabokov in his lyrics, is hardly uneducated in the legacy of fine arts, and he has a certain cerebral, inward sadness that matches the dominant mood of English music around 1600 well enough. Thus some might easily have thought it would be a short leap from Stings own music to the lute songs of John Dowland (1563-1626). But the leap is anything but short, and Sting gets credit for having thought out fully the problems in making it. It is not just the issue of what pianist Katia Labèque, one of the classical musicians who introduced Sting to Dowlands music, called his "unschooled tenor" -- Dowlands songs are not really difficult. It is the great divide between rock (and other traditions ultimately rooted in Africa) and the European tradition: speaking in generalities, the former prizes "noise" -- sound extraneous to the pitch and to the intended timbre of an instrument or voice -- as a structural element, whereas in the latter it is strenuously eliminated. Stings voice has plenty of "noise." The listener oriented toward classical music will object to its being there; the rock listener, noting that Sting is singing very quietly, may wonder why there isnt more of it. Why, then, does this album work well on the whole? The short answer is that Sting took 20 years to think about how to interpret the refined melancholy of Dowland songs like Come, heavy sleep. His booklet notes tell the long story of how he happened to make this album, and its quite an interesting one, involving a "labyrinth" of encounters with Labèque, with the Bosnian lutenist Edin Karamazov who performs on this album, with a friend who gave Sting a lute inlaid with a labyrinth design based on a pattern in the floor of Chartres Cathedral in France (Sting later reproduced the maze in his garden at home), and finally with a Swiss voice teacher who schooled him in pitch precision and the occasional octave run. Sting constructs two crossover points between this temporally remote music and his popular audience. First, he intersperses the songs with selections from Dowlands letters. This has surely been done before, at Elizabethan dinners and the like, and for modern listeners it has the beneficial effect of situating Dowlands music at the center of the social and political life of its time. Stings second crossover point is more radical: he replaces the melody line in a few of Dowlands verses with multitracked harmonies, apparently consisting entirely of his own voice. These sections appear rather randomly, but they do break up the texture in a way that suggests an additional dimension of modern perspective. Sting passes a key test for vocal music of any kind: he understands and means what he is singing. The real gloomfests among Dowlands songs -- like Flow my tears and the final In darkness let me dwell -- lose none of their power in Stings performances. And he brings something of his own sense of humor to the lighter ones; a certain smirk in his reading of Come again suggests that he is aware an audience of Dowlands time would have heard the line "To see, to hear, to touch, to kiss, to die with thee again" as a sexual allusion. He sounds like himself, even while purging rocks blues-based treatment of pitch from his singing; he also takes a few turns on the large archlute. And Karamazov proves an ideal collaborator, creating a sharp, edgy tone that stands up to Stings rough voice. In making Dowlands songs his own, Sting has accomplished something that really has never been done before, and perhaps hell show some of his own fans that Renaissance music is more than an accompaniment for silly jousting competitions -- it is a labyrinth that leads us toward the roots of our own culture. | ||
 | Album: 20 of 29 Title: If on a Winter’s Night… Released: 2009-09-03 Tracks: 15 Duration: 50:31 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Gabriel’s Message (02:33) 2 Soul Cake (03:27) 3 There Is No Rose of Such Virtue (04:03) 4 The Snow It Melts the Soonest (03:43) 5 Christmas at Sea (04:37) 6 Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming (02:41) 7 Cold Song (03:16) 8 The Burning Babe (02:42) 9 Now Winter Comes Slowly (03:05) 10 The Hounds of Winter (05:49) 11 Balulalow (03:10) 12 Cherry Tree Carol (03:11) 13 Lullaby for an Anxious Child (02:50) 14 The Hurdy-Gurdy Man (02:49) 15 You Only Cross My Mind in Winter (02:35) |
| If on a Winter’s Night… : Allmusic album Review : Its no secret that Sting is a serious man, so its only logical that his holiday album -- his first new music since the Police reunion, not that it really matters -- is a serious endeavor, thank you. No niceties for him, no comforts of carols; he favors formal over familiar, writing madrigals, not ditties. It is music made by someone who lives in a castle, which isnt necessarily such a bad thing: the austerity is genuine, not affected, and the cerebral nature of the album is fascinating, albeit mildly so, as this is as sleepy as it is thoughtful. And its that thoughtfulness that does distinguish If on a Winters Night...; no other Christmas album exists in the head like this. Its a holiday album for people who have never wanted to hear a holiday album, let alone own one. | ||
 | Album: 21 of 29 Title: Symphonicities Released: 2010-07-09 Tracks: 15 Duration: 1:12:15 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Next to You (02:30) 2 Englishman in New York (04:23) 3 Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic (04:57) 4 I Hung My Head (05:32) 5 You Will Be My Ain True Love (03:44) 6 Roxanne (03:37) 7 When We Dance (05:27) 8 The End of the Game (06:07) 9 I Burn for You (04:03) 10 We Work the Black Seam (07:19) 11 Shes Too Good for Me (03:03) 12 The Pirates Bride (05:03) 13 Straight to My Heart (04:12) 14 Why Should I Cry for You? (05:49) 15 Whenever I Say Your Name (06:29) |
| Symphonicities : Allmusic album Review : Given Sting’s far-reaching ambition and interests, it was merely a matter of time before he recorded an orchestral album, but 2010’s Symphonicities surprises by offering symphonic arrangements of his older songs instead of a new work. This is a canny move, for the common complaint lodged against rock-classical crossovers is against the quality of the material -- think Paul McCartney or Billy Joel -- a criticism that can’t be leveled here, as this is a selection of some of Sting’s best songs. By relying on his catalog, Sting wound up with an album that is pop, not classical, in structure, but the sound of Symphonicities is surely symphonic, with “Next to You” driven by sawing strings instead of buzzing guitars. Occasionally, this changes the impact of a song, but rarely does it alter its intent; indeed, there are a handful of tunes, like “Englishman in New York” and “When We Dance,” that feel unaltered in this larger setting. Naturally, it’s the Police songs that are changed most -- “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic” bears a sprightly yet dreamy arrangement, “Roxanne” trades its reggae rhythm for a languid, seductive lilt -- and it’s also on these familiar songs where Sting’s engagement is palpable. He may not be radically reinventing these songs, but he’s certainly reinvigorated by this lush setting, and this energy prevents Symphonicities from falling into pretentious traps; it’s lively and fun, and it’s Sting’s most satisfying record in a long time. | ||
 | Album: 22 of 29 Title: The Best of 25 Years Released: 2011-10-24 Tracks: 13 Duration: 59:12 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 If You Love Somebody Set Them Free (04:24) 2 Englishman in New York (04:27) 3 Well Be Together (04:46) 4 Fragile (03:54) 5 All This Time (04:55) 6 If I Ever Lose My Faith In You (04:28) 7 Fields Of Gold (03:40) 8 Desert Rose (04:50) 9 Whenever I Say Your Name (05:24) 10 Never Coming Home (05:20) 11 Message In a Bottle (Live) (04:48) 12 Demolition Man (Live) (04:25) 13 Heavy Cloud No Rain (Live) (03:45) |
| The Best of 25 Years : Allmusic album Review : Note that title: it’s the Best of 25 Years, Sting’s career-encompassing box set, not a greatest-hits album, so this 12-song collection misses some hit singles. That said, the big ones are here -- “If You Love Somebody Set Them Free,” “We’ll Be Together,” “Fragile,” “If I Ever Lose My Faith in You” -- along with a couple of choice album tracks and Police live cuts that make this a solid sampler of Sting’s solo work. | ||
 | Album: 23 of 29 Title: 25 Years Released: 2011-11-27 Tracks: 45 Duration: 3:46:19 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 If You Love Somebody Set Them Free (04:25) 2 Love Is the Seventh Wave (2011 remix) (03:33) 3 Consider Me Gone (2011 remix) (04:31) 4 Moon Over Bourbon Street (2011 remix) (04:01) 5 Fortress Around Your Heart (2011 remix) (04:52) 6 Bring on the Night (live) (11:28) 7 Driven to Tears (live) (06:30) 8 I Burn for You (live) (05:15) 9 Be Still My Beating Heart (05:34) 10 They Dance Alone (Cueca solo) (07:15) 11 Englishman in New York (04:28) 12 Fragile (03:55) 13 We’ll Be Together (2011 remix) (04:46) 14 Sister Moon (03:48) 15 Secret Marriage (02:04) 1 All This Time (04:55) 2 Mad About You (03:53) 3 Why Should I Cry for You? (04:46) 4 The Soul Cages (05:52) 5 When the Angels Fall (07:48) 6 If I Ever Lose My Faith in You (04:29) 7 Fields of Gold (03:40) 8 Seven Days (04:39) 9 It’s Probably Me (05:05) 10 Shape of My Heart (04:37) 11 When We Dance (05:59) 12 I Hung My Head (04:43) 13 I Was Brought to My Senses (05:50) 14 You Still Touch Me (03:48) 15 I’m So Happy I Can’t Stop Crying (03:58) 1 A Thousand Years (05:57) 2 Desert Rose (04:51) 3 Ghost Story (05:30) 4 Brand New Day (06:21) 5 Send Your Love (03:17) 6 Whenever I Say Your Name (05:26) 7 Stolen Car (Take Me Dancing) (03:58) 8 Soul Cake (03:28) 9 The Hounds of Winter (05:51) 10 Next to You (02:32) 11 We Work the Black Seam (07:20) 12 The Pirate’s Bride (05:03) 13 Never Coming Home (05:21) 14 Russians (live) (04:54) 15 The End of the Game (live) (06:00) |
| 25 Years : Allmusic album Review : Celebrating a quarter century of Sting: The Solo Artist, the three-CD/one-DVD 2011 box set 25 Years is a handsome retrospective bound in a hardcover book. Some box sets are heavy on rarities, all the better to hook the hardcore, some are designed to be comprehensive but 25 Years follows a different route, choosing to offer a leisurely journey through the past, stopping at all the familiar points on a well-worn path. Not counting the DVD, which contains the final show from Sting’s 2005 Broken Music tour and is heavy on Police material (eight of the ten tracks!), there is nothing unreleased nor is there anything unexpected; some charting singles are missing but they’re the ones that reached the lower rungs of the pop charts or only popped up on rock radio (“Down So Long,” “Epilogue (Nothing ‘Bout Me),” “Let Your Soul Be Your Pilot”), and the various stray songs and B-sides weren’t even in the running for inclusion. What Sting, who selected this sequence himself, has chosen to present are the hits -- from “If You Love Somebody Set Them Free” to “Desert Rose” -- supported by album tracks that are concert or fan staples. Not much of a surprise, yet the 45 songs, along with the photo, sketch, and lyric-laden book, do an excellent job of summarizing the spirit of Sting’s years after the Police. If you’re a fan, it’s a classy slice of nostalgia. | ||
 | Album: 24 of 29 Title: The Last Ship Released: 2013-01-01 Tracks: 12 Duration: 45:24 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 The Last Ship (03:50) 2 Dead Man’s Boots (03:29) 3 And Yet (03:52) 4 August Winds (03:17) 5 Language of Birds (03:30) 6 Practical Arrangement (03:19) 7 The Night the Pugilist Learned How to Dance (04:13) 8 Ballad of the Great Eastern (05:14) 9 What Have We Got? (03:34) 10 I Love Her but She Loves Someone Else (03:41) 11 So to Speak (04:06) 12 The Last Ship (reprise) (03:19) |
| The Last Ship : Allmusic album Review : Its an open secret that Stings interest in songwriting waned after 2003s Sacred Love, an undistinguished collection of mature pop that passed with barely a ripple despite winning a Grammy for its Mary J. Blige duet "Whenever I Say Your Name." Sting spent the next decade wandering -- writing classical albums for lute, recording the frostiest Christmas album in memory, rearranging his old hits for symphony, then finally, inevitably, reuniting the Police -- before finding inspiration within the confines of a musical. The Last Ship tells the tale of a British shipyard in the 80s, one laid low by changing times, so theres naturally an elegiac undertow to Stings originals, a sensibility underscored by his decision to ground nearly all these songs in the folk of the British Isles. Dockworkers in the 80s may not have been singing folk songs, but the genre is elastic, allowing for single-spotlight soliloquies along with rousing all-cast showcases, like the boisterous "What Have We Got?" Also, by having the bones of his songs belong to folk, Sting can put together a credible album of his own, as the songs from The Last Ship feel intimate in a way hes rarely attempted in his career. He brings in a few guests -- Jimmy Nail and Becky Unthank show up on the standard edition, AC/DCs Brian Johnson, a rock & roll dockworker if there ever was one, shows up on the deluxe -- but the focus is entirely on the songwriter. Occasionally, Stings desire to inhabit roles within the musical is a little too strong -- not long into the album he adopts either a Scottish or Irish brogue, elsewhere he affects a workingmans vernacular, all the while sounding like nobody else but the posh Gordon Sumner -- but his songs are precise and cannily crafted, bearing the work of a songwriter who is intent on sculpting every line and every melodic progression. Unlike Sacred Love, The Last Ship isnt listless; even when the album is quiet -- which it often is -- Sting is engaged, relishing the different characters that inhabit his musical and seizing the challenge of writing in the longform. Its easy to sling arrows at The Last Ship -- there is a whiff of condescension to some of the blue-collar anthems, the air is often haughty ("The Night the Pugilist Learned How to Dance") -- but this is Stings tightest collection of songs in ages, and they all play off each other, adding up to a cohesive whole that is surely one of his best latter-day records. | ||
 | Album: 25 of 29 Title: The Studio Collection Released: 2016-09-30 Tracks: 86 Duration: 6:37:19 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 If You Love Somebody Set Them Free (04:15) 2 Love Is the Seventh Wave (03:32) 3 Russians (03:58) 4 Childrens Crusade (05:01) 5 Shadows in the Rain (04:51) 6 We Work the Black Seam (05:42) 7 Consider Me Gone (04:21) 8 The Dream of the Blue Turtles (01:17) 9 Moon Over Bourbon Street (04:00) 10 Fortress Around Your Heart (04:39) 1 The Lazarus Heart (04:35) 2 Be Still My Beating Heart (05:34) 3 Englishman in New York (04:27) 4 History Will Teach Us Nothing (04:58) 5 They Dance Alone (Cueca solo) (07:15) 6 Fragile (03:54) 1 We’ll Be Together (04:55) 2 Straight to My Heart (03:54) 3 Rock Steady (04:28) 4 Sister Moon (03:46) 5 Little Wing (05:11) 6 The Secret Marriage (02:04) 1 Island of Souls (06:41) 2 All This Time (04:55) 3 Mad About You (03:53) 4 Jeremiah Blues, Part 1 (04:54) 5 Why Should I Cry for You? (04:46) 6 Saint Agnes and the Burning Train (02:43) 7 The Wild Wild Sea (06:41) 8 The Soul Cages (05:52) 9 When the Angels Fall (07:48) 1 If I Ever Lose My Faith in You (04:31) 2 Love Is Stronger Than Justice (The Munificent Seven) (05:11) 3 Fields of Gold (03:40) 4 Heavy Cloud No Rain (03:47) 5 She’s Too Good for Me (02:30) 6 Seven Days (04:39) 7 Saint Augustine in Hell (05:17) 8 It’s Probably Me (05:09) 9 Shape of My Heart (04:38) 10 Something the Boy Said (05:28) 11 Epilogue (Nothing ’Bout Me) (03:41) 1 The Hounds of Winter (05:26) 2 I Hung My Head (04:40) 3 Let Your Soul Be Your Pilot (06:43) 4 I Was Brought to My Senses (05:50) 5 You Still Touch Me (03:46) 6 I’m So Happy I Can’t Stop Crying (03:57) 7 All Four Seasons (04:28) 8 Twenty Five to Midnight (04:08) 9 La Belle Dame sans regrets (05:16) 10 Valparaiso (05:27) 11 Lithium Sunset (02:37) 1 A Thousand Years (05:57) 2 Desert Rose (04:45) 3 Big Lie Small World (05:05) 4 After the Rain Has Fallen (05:03) 5 Perfect Love… Gone Wrong (05:25) 1 Tomorrow We’ll See (04:48) 2 Prelude to the End of the Game (00:20) 3 Fill Her Up (05:38) 4 Ghost Story (05:29) 5 Brand New Day (06:20) 1 Inside (04:47) 2 Send Your Love (04:38) 3 Whenever I Say Your Name (05:27) 4 Dead Man’s Rope (05:43) 5 Never Coming Home (04:59) 6 Stolen Car (03:58) 1 Forget About the Future (05:12) 2 This War (05:30) 3 The Book of My Life (06:16) 4 Sacred Love (05:43) 5 Send Your Love (04:38) 1 The Last Ship (03:50) 2 Dead Man’s Boots (03:29) 3 And Yet (03:52) 4 August Winds (03:17) 5 Language of Birds (03:30) 6 Practical Arrangement (03:19) 7 The Night the Pugilist Learned How to Dance (04:13) 8 Ballad of the Great Eastern (05:14) 9 What Have We Got? (03:34) 10 I Love Her but She Loves Someone Else (03:41) 11 So to Speak (04:06) 12 The Last Ship (reprise) (03:19) |
 | Album: 26 of 29 Title: 57th & 9th Released: 2016-11-11 Tracks: 10 Duration: 37:07 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 I Can’t Stop Thinking About You (03:30) 2 50,000 (04:17) 3 Down, Down, Down (03:48) 4 One Fine Day (03:14) 5 Pretty Young Soldier (03:06) 6 Petrol Head (03:32) 7 Heading South on the Great North Road (03:18) 8 If You Can’t Love Me (04:34) 9 Inshallah (04:56) 10 The Empty Chair (02:49) |
| 57th & 9th : Allmusic album Review : Sting seemed to tire of pop songs sometime early in the 21st century, wandering away from the format after 2003s well-mannered Sacred Love. Over the next 13 years, he entertained his esoteric interests -- he collaborated on a classical album, he rearranged his old tunes for an orchestra, he reunited the Police, he wrote a musical -- before he returned to pop/rock with 2016s 57th & 9th. The fact that he named this comeback album after the intersection he crossed on his way to the studio speaks to the workmanlike aspect of 57th & 9th: there is no grand concept, no unifying aesthetic -- its merely a collection of pop songs. This is hardly a bad thing. Sting has often undervalued his skills as a craftsman, so hearing him deliver ten sharply crafted songs is appealing. Playing with a studio band featuring drummer Josh Freese and guitarist Lyle Workman, Sting manages to work up a head of steam on occasion -- "I Cant Stop Thinking About You" opens the album with an insistent pulse, "Petrol Head" evokes memories of "Synchronicity II" -- but he spends as much time delivering tunes with a delicate touch. Much of the last half of the record is devoted to introspection, but unlike the fussy Sacred Love, the ballads here benefit from a brighter, open production and a singer/songwriter who feels invested in sculpting his melodies with the same care that he gives his lyrics. Sting sifts through familiar territory with songs of protest sitting alongside songs of yearning and love, and it all adds up to record thats simultaneously unassuming and revealing: through its modest nature, 57th & 9th stands as a testament to Stings inherent gifts as a songwriter and record-maker. | ||
 | Album: 27 of 29 Title: Greatest Hits Released: 2017 Tracks: 36 Duration: 00:00 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 I Cant Stop Thinking About You (?) 2 And Yet (?) 3 Send Your Love (?) 4 Shape Of My Heart (?) 5 Mad About You (?) 6 Roxanne (?) 7 Soul Cake (?) 8 The Last Ship (?) 9 La Belle Dame Sans Regrets (?) 10 One Fine Day (?) 11 Dead Mans Boots (?) 12 If I Ever Lose My Faith In You (?) 13 Seven Days (?) 14 Englishman In New York (?) 15 Fields Of Gold (?) 16 Fragile (?) 17 The Hounds Of Winter (?) 18 If You Love Somebody Set Them Free (?) 19 I Hung My Head (?) 1 Desert Rose (?) 2 Stolen Car (?) 3 After The Rain Has Fallen (?) 4 All This Time (?) 5 Its Probably Me (?) 6 Inside (?) 7 Brand New Day (?) 8 Love Is Stronger Than Justice (?) 9 Shes Too Good For Me (?) 10 Whenever I Say Your Name (?) 11 Lets Your Soul Be Your Pilot (?) 12 When We Dance (?) 13 Love Is The Seventh Wave (?) 14 Big Lie Small World (?) 15 Everybody Laughed But You (?) 16 Tomorrow Well See (?) 17 Moon Over Bourbon Street (?) |
 | Album: 28 of 29 Title: 44/876 Released: 2018-04-20 Tracks: 18 Duration: 1:08:39 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 44/876 (02:59) 2 Morning Is Coming (03:11) 3 Waiting for the Break of Day (03:18) 4 Gotta Get Back My Baby (02:56) 5 Don’t Make Me Wait (03:35) 6 Just One Lifetime (03:30) 7 22nd Street (04:00) 8 Dreaming in the U.S.A. (03:08) 9 Crooked Tree (03:37) 10 To Love and Be Loved (03:29) 11 Sad Trombone (05:43) 12 Night Shift (03:26) 13 If You Can’t Find Love (03:34) 14 Love Changes Everything (03:55) 15 16 Fathoms (03:19) 16 Don’t Make Me Wait (Dave Audé rhythmic radio remix) (03:47) 1 Message in a Bottle (live at Shaggy & Friends, Kingston, Jamaica) (06:34) 2 Dont Make Me Wait (live at Shaggy & Friends, Kingston, Jamaica) (04:31) |
| 44/876 : Allmusic album Review : Sting spent the entirety of his career studiously avoiding the appearance of having a good time, which is why his 2018 collaboration with reggae star Shaggy seemed so odd: at the age of 66, the rock star decided it was finally time to crack a smile. 44/876 -- a collaboration named after the phone codes for their respective home countries -- is most certainly a party record, albeit one that cooks at a low simmer as it swings between fleet-footed reggae sunsplash tunes and mellow grooves. If Sting seems subservient to Shaggy, that makes sense. Shaggy specializes in doing one thing well, while Sting took it as a point of pride that he could do anything from jazz to symphonies. While 44/876 has a few AAA moments -- "Waiting for the Break of Day" couldve slid onto 2016s 57th & 9th without any incident, "22nd Street" oddly evokes memories of slick yacht-soul -- its firmly a modern reggae album filtered through the perspective of a pop star who knows how to spin this music into something appealing to a wider audience. Consequently, 44/876 can have its cutesy moments -- such as the rampant Lewis Carroll references in "Just One Lifetime" -- and it also puts a slick gloss over every element of its reggae, but this suits a collaboration thats fueled in part by the showbiz status of the two participants. Shaggy and Sting might not first appear to be an ideal match, but theyre both rooted in reggae and are both international stars, so they share a vernacular that helps turn 44/876 into a surprisingly enjoyable pan-international pop album. | ||
 | Album: 29 of 29 Title: My Songs Released: 2019-05-24 Tracks: 19 Duration: 1:18:18 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Brand New Day (03:56) 2 Desert Rose (03:56) 3 If You Love Somebody Set Them Free (04:35) 4 Every Breath You Take (04:16) 5 Demolition Man (04:17) 6 Can’t Stand Losing You (02:49) 7 Fields of Gold (03:46) 8 So Lonely (04:08) 9 Shape of My Heart (04:43) 10 Message in a Bottle (04:46) 11 Fragile (03:52) 12 Walking on the Moon (04:16) 13 Englishman in New York (04:28) 14 If I Ever Lose My Faith in You (04:09) 15 Roxanne (02:57) 16 Synchronicity II (04:59) 17 Next to You (04:18) 18 Spirits in the Material World (03:57) 19 Fragile (04:00) |