|
Sting: Brand New Day
 There is a difference between being an inspired musician and
an informed musician. Sting is the latter. As always, he surrounds himself with
ultratalented artists: this time around Stevie Wonder, Branford Marsalis, James
Taylor, guitarist Dominic Miller, and the prince of rai Cheb Mami, fill the
roster. Brand New Day exhibits about as many musical styles as there are
tracks, all encased in dense, meticulous production. The album begins
promisingly. "A Thousand Years" pulses atop a lush, two-note
foundation. "A Desert Rose" folds trilling Algerian pop into
trip-hop. Melodic, late-night jazz ballads dominate the middle portion of the
collection. But Sting's preoccupation with odd-numbered time signatures
prevents the songs from grooving, while the choruses are yawns. "Fill Her
Up" (no, not "Fill 'Er Up"), a country tune, represents Sting at
his most self-indulgent. Listening to one of the wealthiest musicians in pop
singing "Got no money to invest / Got no prospect / Or education / I was
lucky to get the job at this gas station" requires a heroic suspension of
disbelief. The song morphs into this rousing gospel number where Sting and a
supporting chorus chant "You gotta fill 'er up with Jesus! / You gotta
fill her up with life!" Who knew unleaded could be so rousing?
|
|
