"A Sacred Gem"

I bought Sting's newest album "Sacred Love" on October 2nd of this year and while it took time to grow on me, it ultimately grew to become another great album from Sting. While not on the greatness of his last album "Brand New Day" which is one of his greatest albums ever, "Sacred Love" is a winning follow-up to a masterpiece that was hard to follow but this CD succeeds in doing that which brings more to mind. Upon reading the appallingly negative reviews right and left on this product, I feel compelled to return to this page and defend this new CD from Sting. This is one of 2003's best albums and Sting has lost none of his edge and this CD proves just that. Based on reading the notes, this is a very personal album for him. Like a couple of other reviewers said: STOP COMPARING TO THE PAST!! Sheesh! With this album, Sting is definitely looking to the future and not looking back so just shush!

"Inside" begins this set with a menacing odd intro with some slight Eastern Indian sitars before becoming a mix of blues, hip-hop beats, acoustic jazz, and electro-pop music to create a marvelous track that is vintage Sting alright. This is really a fabulous track and a great opener. It really needs listening to know how it sounds but it is a great track. The first single entitled "Send Your Love" was a wise choice for the first single. At first hearing the opening I thought "Oh no not another annoying poseur Latin track!" but thankfully, it was not to be and it becomes a very upbeat worldly song with some Asian color to it against the electronic dance element. If you loved "Desert Rose" you might enjoy this song too. This is a really amazing song and is destined to become another classic. I felt myself soaring listening to this song. It really has some very good lyrics of sending one's love into some distant times. This version is better than the remix version at the end of this album. The remix is good but I prefer the more unconventional beats and haunting exotic ambience over DJ-Oriented remixes. That's all. The video is really good as well.Enough about that song, let's go on to the next track, another magnificent song. "Whenever I Say Your Name" is a fabulous duet with R&B/Hip-Hop veteran singer Mary J. Blige. I haven't listened to Blige's music enough to really consider myself a fan but on this duet with Sting, she is just absolutely fabulous and this track is one of the best duets I've heard in a long time. "Dead Man's Rope" is another excellent song with some exotic acoustic guitars and vintage Sting styles reminiscent of what he did during his "Ten Sumner's Tales" era. "Never Coming Home" is my favorite song on this album alongside "Send Your Love" being a very high energy fast paced number with a very dramatic atmosphere and a haunting sound to it to go along with the fast rhythm. To me, this is one of Sting's best songs in a very long time. "Stolen Car" is another excellent song with a jazzier sound. "Let's Forget About the Future" is another good song similar in sound to "A Thousand Years" but less ambient and more of a bluesier sound with some funk elements. I could do without some of the barking towards the ending but otherwise, this is a very good song and I have to agree in some ways, I'd rather forget about what the future holds. Just for a small laugh. "This War" may be a bit deceiving in it's bleak title as it's actually a very upbeat rocking song with some bluesy organs and a very live sound to it. While this song is good, it's not a whole lot to write home about. Still, this song is far from being filler. "The Book of My Life" is a very interesting song in Sting's part. The song starts with haunting exotic Middle Eastern violins and haunting Eastern Indian sitars. It becomes a passionate and beautiful pop classic with a deep and haunting sound that is classic Sting. This is a really beautiful song and one of the richest and most intriguing songs on this album. The title track starts with some haunting ambience and some worldly beats but ultimately becomes a very blues/rock hybrid song with a very positive vibe and very upbeat atmosphere and is a lot fun to listen to. The CD closes with a remixed version of the first single "Send Your Love". This remix has a very DJ oriented dance beat and is definitely one for the dance floor. While this remix is very enjoyable on it's own, it comes close to crossing the border of being generic and forgettable. Still it's a good remix of the song but the original version is much better and I actually find the original to be more danceable.

An edgier, more philosophical Sting

One of the things I greatly admire about Sting is his willingness to work with new sounds and new themes for his albums. Instead of cranking out tired variations of the same style album after album, Sting uses each new album as an opportunity to reinvent himself. Even though this willingness to shake things up style-wise sometimes results in Sting recording music that I personally don't care for all that much, I still admire that he's willing to try new things while still staying true to himself. Say what you like about any of Sting's albums, there is never a sense that he's become a victim of target marketing or selling out. It's obvious that the music Sting makes is exactly the music Sting wants to be making. I like that in an artist.



That said, here are my thoughts about Sacred Love, his newest musical experiment: Overall I really like the album a lot. I can't say that I like every song on the album, but I do like most of them. Frankly, there is such a hodgepodge of styles covered in Sacred Love, that I think only the diehard Sting enthusiast would be fond of them all. This is really a genre-bending album that he's put together here. It's impossible to classify because it skips so wildly from rock to hip-hop love ballad, to world lounge, to Middle Eastern techno dance, to the classic Sting sound so strongly influenced by jazz and reggae. Really, I'm very impressed that the album flows together so well. I wouldn't have thought it'd be possible to wrangle all these styles into one album without disastrous results. It's another testament to Sting's amazing talent.



There's a lot to like about this album. The lyrics are thoughtful and well crafted and never dull. The use of Middle Eastern, South American, and African influences are a delight to people who like their music well-traveled and flavorful. The spiritual and philosophical overtones scattered throughout strike an almost perfect balance most of the time, and make listening to the album an intensely personal experience, almost like you're having a conversation with the artist himself. And for me, The first 3 songs really are incredible. If every other song on the album was crap, I'd still be reasonably happy with my purchase becasue of "Inside", "Send Your Love", and "Whenever I Say Your Name".



The only songs that just don't work for me are:



* The heavily Christian "Dead Man's Rope", which has good lyrics, but meanders on and on in a very tedious way.



* "This War", a very strong statement against President Bush's foreign agenda. While I may agree with Sting's views, the song isn't what I'd call entertainment. Unfortunately, this is no "They Dance Alone". I'll take my political commentary on my own time, thanks Sting.



* "Send Your Love" Remix. As remixes go, this one just doesn't do it for me. The original song is uptempo world fusion (think "Desert Rose") to begin with, and works pretty well as a dance song as is. Shaking things up further with a frenetic dance beat just makes the vocals sound forced and strained.



To sum up, I won't tell you that if you're a Sting fan you should definitely run out and buy this album. I like this album quite a bit and play it frequently, but you may not feel the same. This is an album that, as a fan, you will either really like or really hate, depending on how flexible you are as to what you think a Sting album should sound like. I'm pretty openminded when I pick up a Sting album because I don't like to pigeonhole my favorite artists. If you are, too, then I recommend you give it a listen. There's a lot to like here if you give it an unprejudiced listen.

Evolution

The reason I am and continue to be such a fan of Sting is the fact that he and his music continues to Evolve. Instead of resting on his laurels and counting his money - with each album he streches himself and tries new things. New stories to tell, new ways to tell them musically and lyrically. He has done songs in Country, Bosa Nova, Rap, Soul and Electronica. So much of this album reflects his desire to move forward and not back. The simple and yet haunting guitar on "Dead mans rope" along with the story of a man looking for answers. The powerfully chargered "The War" which proves Sting can still Rock and the back and forth banter between Sting and Mary J. Blige on "Whenever I say your name" is just inspired. As someone who has listened to Sting's music for 20 years this album is a cullmination of years on this earth and of a constant desire to Evolve!!

It takes time but WOW!!

I am a sting fan, so i guess i could be a little blinded by the man. It did take me a little time to get my head around this CD but after a little time i find that stings ability to push the envolope when it comes to music still amazed me. I just wish i knew what he listened to as i find myself loving his work more and more. The only advice i can give is give it a few times through...

Sacred Lovemaking Music

This is a wonderful album for adults who are into practicing (and enjoying) sacred sexuality together, along the lines of the experience presented in the "Goddess Worship" video. While Jillian Spears' music in that video is very different than this album by sting, both offer musical accompaniment that enhances the loving connection of sacred and spiritual lovers.

STING DOESN'T HAVE A BITE

Note to Sting:

Stop having sex and build up your manhood again. These songs have no gut, character, or interesting qualities. Bring back the Police to save your career. Stop believing the press. You are not God's right-hand man. That annoying public character has been taken by Bono.