as atmospheric as they come...

I love this record! It certainly ranks in my personal top three of all time, and it was one of those rare recordings that gripped me the instant I heard it. I was already an established Sting fan (and The Police too, of course), so I made a point to pick this up the day it was released.

At the time, it seems that Sting was struggling with a bout of writer's block, and after Nothing Like The Sun was released, he had little material in the can. His father passed away during this period of time, and it would appear that this tragic personal event galvanized Sting to such a degree that he produced what is largely regarded as his most mature and literarily accomplished work to date. What we have with The Soul Cages is a thought provoking and incredibly atmospheric album that is surprisingly deep for an apparent mainstream release.

I lived on Clearwater Beach, here on Florida's West coast, back in the early Nineties, and one of my favorite things was to take moonlit walks on the beach in the middle of the night with the headphones on. I occasionally suffer insomnia, and those walks were a perfect way of dealing with it, and certainly beat the hell out of laying in bed awake all night. It just so happens that this was the case when Sting's new album came out, so I gathered up the walkman and my brand new unlistened to cassette copy and off I went.

The part of the beach I lived on was a bit North of all the hustle and bustle of spring break and such, a much more natural setting with dunes and sea oats and otherworldly sunsets - a beautiful place to be, night or day. The moon was full, the night sky cloudless and chilly, and phosphoric flashes were glistening in the slight waves as the first strains of "Island Of Souls" came across the headphones. I was struck by the appropriately nautical mood the slow and somewhat building tempo conjured, embellished with northumbrian pipes and gentle percussion and keys. Sting really nails the atmosphere as the song tells the story of a young Newcastle lad who loses his shipwelder father to an "industrial accident", and the music perfectly accentuates a feeling of loss and loneliness. This imagery seems closely tied to Sting's childhood experience, and I think it could be safely said that his father's passing became the catalyst to what was ultimately produced in this song, and, in fact, the whole recording.

The second song, "All This Time" has probably received the most airplay from The Soul Cages, and it would seem to indeed be the most accessable track of the nine on the record. It's a catchy uptempo song with some fantastic, humorous lyrics. Next comes "Mad About You" and "The Jeremiah Blues", both of which showcase Sting's jazzier sensabilities, and he and his band really seem to have some fun with these two songs. The former deals with love lost on an obsessive level, which Sting handles very eloquently with his vocal and lyrical delivery. In "Jeremiah", Sting pokes fun at society in general, with it's follow the leader mentality throughout history and people's tendency to look the other way when "something wicked this way comes". The rhythm section in this song is of particular note, and Sting cuts loose with some great bass lines.

"Why Should I Cry For You?" is a sensitive and moving ballad that Sting obviously dedicated to his dad. The song is clearly an attempt at closure, but asks many questions as to suggest that perhaps it's not complete. Sting returns to the nautical feel introduced on the first track with this song, and it has also received a fair amount of airplay over the years.

After the classical guitar based intrumental, "Saint Agnes And The Burning Train", we get into what, to my mind, is one of the best three song progressions ever, beginning with "The Wild Wild Sea". I've noticed amongst people who really enjoy this album, that this song always ranks as a favorite, and it most definitely finds Sting at his most poetic. The lyrics are simply brilliant. As I understand the song, it takes place in a dream, where Sting finds himself adrift helplessly on the sea with a nasty squall approaching. A sailor intervenes suddenly, and navigates the boat safely through the storm. Sting discovers that the identity of the sailor is none other than his father. Perhaps this was a real dream Sting had. He is so lyrically descriptive in this track and small details are stunningly well realized, that I'm left to believe that this must have been the case.

A rare Sting rocker follows in the title track, and it is equally well written and very catchy. I can remember this song getting some airplay when the album was released, but it didn't seem to catch on, which is unfortunate. Sting is the consumate storyteller as he describes a child's determination against all odds to free his father's soul from a watery prison.

Finally, the record closes with the rather long "When Angels Fall", which is an outstanding song with musical echoes from "Island Of Souls". This song seems to truly find closure for Sting, and he displays much resolve in his words.



"Take your father's cross,

Gently from the wall,

A shadow still remaining,

See the churches fall,

In mighty arcs of sound,

And all that they're containing,

Yet all the ragged souls,

Of all the ragged men,

Looking for their lost homes,

Shuffle to the ruins,

From the levelled plain,

To search among the tombstones



"When the angels fall,

Shadows on the wall,

In the thunder's call,

Something haunts us all,

When the angels fall....



"These are my feet,

These are my hands,

These are my children,

And this is my demand,

Bring down the angels,

Cast them from my sight,

I never want to see

A million suns at midnight,

Your hands are empty,

The streets are empty,

You can't control us,

You can't control us anymore,

When angels fall"



Really powerful and gripping.

I remember being totally impressed with this record, and it floored me upon that first listen, walking on that empty beach in the middle of the night. In fact, it became my "go to" beach soundtrack for quite some time.

The production values are quite good, especially with the Q Sound

on the cd version. It doesn't sound the least bit dated, even after 14 years. If they ever release this in SACD format, I'll be first in line for it. Sting's choice of musicians has always been first class, and this cd is no exception. Manu Katche, Kenny Kirkland, Dominic Miller, Branford Marsalis, David Sancious, Vinx, and Ray Cooper, among others, all worked very effectively on their respective instruments, and each contributed to helping Sting create a masterpiece.

If you enjoy intelligent, thought provoking music, with great atmosphere, this is a really great choice for your collection.

Kudos and accolades to Sting for a superb effort!

Dark and beautiful

If you're the kind of person who thinks intensely, who finds dark thoughts strangely comforting, who lives in a state of melancholy, this album is for you.



If you're someone who revels in the sonic details of a record, who is worn out by formulaic pop songs, this album is for you.



If you're someone who believes in concept albums, who thinks storytelling is an important art, this album is for you.



The basic themes of this album are not happy ones - water and death. But if you can cope with the subject matter, what you will get is one of the most lovingly crafted albums I have ever heard. There are only a small number of songs that move me so much that I feel totally overwhelmed by them, and this is the ONLY album that contains TWO of them (Island of Souls, and Why Should I Cry For You).



On any other album the remaining seven tracks would be highlights - every one is different but they are all of 5-star quality. But the great strength of this album is that it is truly an album, not a collection of unrelated songs. Take "All This Time" for example. The only 'hit' from the record, the lyrics have far for meaning in the overall context of the album than they ever did on radio.



One of the most important aspects of this album, which seems to be mentioned fairly rarely in reviews, is the sound quality. "Q Sound" is not simply some gimmick. Every instrument positively leaps out of the speakers with staggering clarity. I had a friend who was a sound engineer and had particularly good audio equipment. Many other CDs we tried showed their limitations, but The Soul Cages just sounded even better than usual. I now use it to test any sound equipment I am considering buying.

dark and moving

moving music . Stings most underrated album I think.

Why should I Cry For You is excellent as is the title track.

excellent buy

This CD is one of my all time favorites. It's quite different from a typical Sting cd, although I love typical Sting CDs. Apparently he wrote it after his father's death. Well you can definitely hear that influence. It has a haunting, struggling quality to it, if that makes sense. The songs are beautiful, especially "why should I cry for you" and "When the Angels Fall" A wonderful experience!

Free flowing beauty with depth

One of the most amazing albums I have ever spent time with. Yes, time must be spent with these wonderful deep flowing tracks to understand the truth and beauty that is layered seamlessly throughout the album. The music is a refined openess filled with emotion, imagery, and something special that leaves the listener connected to it all. The Soul Cages is an album that will stay with me for life.

Great CD

I'm not sure whether this is my favorite Sting CD or "Ten Summoners...". The intro to "Island of Souls" is lonely and haunting. This song is almost hypnotic and sets the mood for the rest of the CD. "All This Time" is just a really great song. Even though it is about the death of Sting's father it is such an upbeat and catchy song, I'm sure it must have been a therapeutic song for Sting. My favorite song on here is "Mad About You". The lyrics to this song are great. I don't know how to classify this CD because it is so eclectic. It's not really pop and not really rock although the title track has a hard-edge to it. I love the sea theme this CD has and I find it really relaxing to listen to this outside on summer nights while downing some cold brews. Excellent.