Nowadays, Sting is generally regarded less than favourably, as a Bono-like figure of fun full of his own self-importance. I don't know if that's fair, and a new Sting album isn't something I'd look out for, even in my local charity shop.
But let's not forget he was the front man and main songwriter for one of the early 1980s biggest bands, with a string of well-regarded hits.
This was his first solo album, and was clearly a different direction to The Police. I hadn't particularly liked (or disliked) the band, and I'm not sure why I was tempted to buy this at the time, but I remember enjoying this album immensely. So, seeing it for a quid somewhere, I decided to reacquaint myself with it.
The opening track, If You Love Somebody Set Them Free, is a powerful rocking start to the album, quickly let down by the ordinary faux-reggae of Love Is The Seventh Wave, interesting only for Branford Marsalis' sax accompaniments. I still like Russians' more than obvious sentiment, and it's as relevant today as it was then, just with the change of names. And the over-sentimentality continues in Children's Crusade, but it's a pleasant little listen. Shadows In The Rain feels like the result of an impromptu blues jam, but it sounds good, without being an album highlight, and into the second half, We Work The Black Seam, whose sentimentality hasn't aged well (and as for the nonsense about carbon-14, the scientific inaccuracy has irritated me for years!). Consider Me Gone is a slower, more laidback piece, which doesn't really make an impression, but Dream Of The Blue Turtles is a lovely, short jazz piece taking us into the maudlin Moon Over Bourbon Street, which again, is pleasant and well produced without overwhelming, before the album finale, Fortress Around Your Heart, the album rocking out as it started, and it's probably my favourite on the album, a simple yet effective song to conclude.
I'm not sure this album is as wonderful as I did forty years ago, but I've really enjoyed this revisit. It's a great solo debut with lots to enjoy, and not to much that falls flat.
4* - there's enough really good stuff on here to make me want to listen again.
Comments