sting

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 1985's Dream of the Blue Turtles to 1993's Ten Summoner's Tales. Unfortunately, Fields of Gold: The Best of Sting doesn't 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 Sting's 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 similar 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

Falling somewhere between the pop sensibilities of Ten Summoner's Tales and the searching ambition of The Soul Cages, Mercury Falling is one of Sting's tighter records, even if it fails to compel as much as his previous solo albums. Though he doesn't 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 a 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; it's just not an infectious, compulsive listen. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine,

Sting's early jazz experience was very evident on his solo debut album. Kenny Kirkland (piano), Omar Hakim (drums), Darryl Jones (bass), and Branford Marsalis (sax) contributed greatly to the jazz "feel" of the songs. This captures some of the energy and exuberance of the early Police, like Regatta de Blanc, but also maintains some of the somber, serious tone of Synchronicity. Sting's first album is his most impressive, boasting such songs as "Love Is the Seventh Wave," "Fortress Around Your Heart," "Children's Crusade," and "Moon over Bourbon Steet." ~ Iotis Erlewine

Ten Summoner's Tales is the most song-oriented, lighthearted collection Sting has delivered since his solo debut. Sting's songs remain densely literate, although the melodies aren't; they are devoid of the jazz pretensions of Nothing Like the Sun and the oppressive seriousness of The Soul Cages. When he doesn't get carried away by his own cleverness, Sting can deliver the goods with some terrific pop songs ("If I Ever Lose My Faith in You," "It's Probably Me," "Epilogue [Nothin' 'Bout Me]," and "Seven Days"). Those songs help make Ten Summoner's Tales one of his strongest solo releases. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine,

Sting had a rare career stumble with the unfocused Mercury Falling, yet it didn't ruffle his feathers too much. After all, he had reached a point where he didn't have to prove his worth every time out, and he had so ingrained himself in pop culture -- the year after Mercury, Puff Daddy appropriated "Every Breath You Take" for his smash tribute to the Notorious BIG -- he didn't need hits anymore. Not that really bothered him in his solo career -- the demanding, introspective Soul Cages followed his biggest hit, Nothing Like the Sun -- but by the late '90s, he really had the freedom to whatever he wanted, regardless of audience. 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 Sting's 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, as if it was recorded in 1989 instead of 1999. That's not a problem -- there's no reason why Sting should be playing the pop game at this stage, anyway -- but it's odd how close Brand New Day comes to feeling like a sequel to Nothing Like the Sun. Musically, that is. The sparkling, meticulous production is filled with synths, fretless bass, clean guitars, and the very tone of the music -- ranging from lite-funk to mellow ballads to the Lyle Lovett tribute, "Fill Her Up" -- is of piece of Sting's late '80s work. That's the main thing separating it from Ten Summoner's Tales, his other straight pop album... well, that, and the levity. There are no over-arching themes, no political messages on Brand New Day, only love songs, story songs and, for lack of a better word, inspirational exhorations (the title track). This is all a good thing, since by keeping things light he's managed to craft an appealing, engaging record -- it may not ask as much from its audience as Sting's other '90s efforts, but it's immediately enjoyable, which isn't the case for its cousins. Yes, Brand New Day doesn't boast any new classics, and it does sound a little dated, but it's 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. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

A terrific live-concert album, this contains songs dating back to Sting's years with The Police, as well as works from his first solo album, Dream of the Blue Turtles. In addition to performances of well-known songs, Sting performs the haunting "I Burn for You," a song written for the film Brimstone and Treacle (in which Sting had a role) but not included on any of Sting's own albums. This two-CD set features Branford Marsalis (sax), Omar Hakim (drums), Darryl Jones (bass), Kenny Kirkland (keyboards), and Janie Pendarvis and Dolette McDonald (vocals). ~ Iotis Erlewine,

If Dream of the Blue Turtles was an unabashedly pretentious affair, it looks positively light-hearted in comparison to Sting's 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 "We'll Be Together" -- was added at the insistence of the label because they believed there wasn't 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 doesn't seem to be trying so hard.

It flows naturally, largely because this isn't 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. Sting's 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 it's buoyed by those previously mentioned stunners, it's one of his better albums. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine,

By deleting the 1986 hits collection Every Breath You Take: The Singles and replacing it nearly ten years later with Every Breath You Take: The Classics, A&M improved the original set...but only slightly. Instead of finally adding the missing hits that were mysteriously absent the first time around ("Synchronicity II," "Demolition Man," "So Lonely" etc.), there are only two additional tracks -- the original version of "Don't Stand So Close to Me" and a "New Classic Rock Mix" of "Message in a Bottle." Again, the included hits speak for themselves -- "Roxanne," "Walking on the Moon," "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic," "Wrapped Around Your Finger," -- but ultimately, The Classics misses the mark. Why would a Police fan who already owns The Singles want to replace it with a modestly different repackaging? A&M should have added some of the missing classics instead of just rehashing what many fans already own. ~ Greg Prato

This long-awaited album followed the death of Sting's father, which may explain the melancholy, pained tone of these songs. The focus here is very much on death and dying, making the album a bit of a downer and hard to listen to in a single sitting. Although the material may not be as good overall as Sting's previous work, the song "All This Time" is definitely one of his best. ~ Iotis Erlewine,

While their subsequent chart-topping albums would contain far more ambitious songwriting and musicianship, the Police's 1978 debut, Outlandos D'Amour (translation: Outlaws of Love) is by far their most direct and straightforward release. Although Sting, Andy Summers, and Stewart Copeland were all superb instrumentalists with jazz backgrounds, it was much easier to get a record contract in late-'70s England if you were a punk/new wave artist, so the band decided to mask their instrumental prowess with a set of strong, adrenaline-charged rock, albeit with a reggae tinge.

Some of it may have been simplistic ("Be My Girl-Sally," "Born in the '50s"), but Sting was already an ace songwriter, as evidenced by all-time classics like the good-girl-gone-bad tale of "Roxanne," and a pair of brokenhearted reggae-rock ditties, "Can't Stand Losing You" and "So Lonely." But like all other Police albums, the lesser-known album cuts are often highlights themselves -- the frenzied rockers "Next to You," "Peanuts" and "Truth Hits Everybody," as well as more exotic fare like the groovy album closer "Masoko Tanga" and the lonesome "Hole in My Life." Outlandos D'Amour is unquestionably one of the finest debuts to come out of the '70s punk/new wave movement. ~ Greg Prato