Brand New Day

Sting | Format: Audio Cassette

Product Details

• Audio Cassette (September 28, 1999)
• Original Release Date: 1999
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Interscope Records
• ASIN: B00001QGQJ
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (598 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #509,692 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Thousand Years

2. Desert Rose

3. Big Lie Small World

4. After The Rain Has Fallen

5. Perfect Love...Gone Wrong

6. Tomorrow We'll See

7. The End Of The Game

8. Fill Her Up

9. Ghost Story

10. Brand New Day

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Leave Your Expectations at the Door, September 29, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Brand New Day (Audio CD)

I'm a huge Sting fan; I own a large collection of funky Sting B-sides, imports, and foreign language CDs in addition to the regular stuff. So when the new 'Brand New Day' album came out, I was one of the first in line to snag it! Here's my take: if you're a Sting fan, you're in for a ride. If you're not . . . well, give this album another chance. Sting fans, the good news is that this album is REALLY different. Musically, Sting is at his most creative; he's having a blast moving from genre to genre (and hey, why limit it from song to song- - he now mixes country, gospel, and jazz in one track - - eeek!). Lyrically, there are moments of brilliance (I'm particularly fond of the title track and 'Big Lie, Small World'), but there's nothing as consistently incisive as his first two solo efforts. Where do I net out? I'm wild about four tracks, convinced that I'll eventually like three more, and can't stand two of them. If you're not a die-hard Sting fan this album may not be for you at first listen . . . but with time, you may find that your musical horizons stretching. Enjoy!

97 of 110 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sting travels a wide musical map, January 21, 2000

By 

Jon Warshawsky "Sinatra Guru" (San Diego, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Brand New Day (Audio CD)

Brand New Day delivers some of Sting's strongest and weakest material in a solo career that is passing its fifteenth year (!). Sting has never been content to do the same thing for long, something that irks fans who want another 'Roxanne' or 'Don't Stand So Close to Me'. Brand New Day is much more complicated.

To start, the recording and performers on the album are all first rate. Branford Marsalis and drummer Manu Katche (from Dream of the Blue Turtles in 1985) return as part of staggering array of talented performers. Where the album isn't a perfect success is in the material.

The opener, a soft, minor number, is fine for what it is, but the excellent lyrics (Sting really shines as a songwriter, here and elsewhere) are sometimes lost in the musical murk. When you pay attention, you recognise that this is a worthwhile song, just nothing exciting. 'Desert Rose' is one of Sting's most satisfying solo numbers, with plenty of exotic instrumentation, great backing vocals and the soaring kind of lead vocals -- and plenty of violins! -- that make it a standout. Listen to the music and you can tell this is a serious production by someone who knows more than rock.

'Big Lie, Small Word,' a rhythmic guitar tune, works well enough, leading to 'After the Rain has Fallen', with fairy tale lyrics that show off Sting's distinctive straining vocals and some nice harmonies. 'Perfect Love...' is okay, with a forgettable French rap that shows how bad rap is no matter what language it's in. 'Tomorrow We'll See' delivers more thoughtful lyrics, but here Sting tries his hand at a gentle rap. After an instrumental interlude, Sting casts off his musical taste and plunges into a twangy country romp, complete with dumb lyrics about no job and no money (did he spend it all?) This song makes me wish I could erase selected tracks from commercial CDs. This is Jimmy Buffett material. I don't want to hear Sting do this kind of stuff.

More successful, 'Ghost Story' is a slow, guitar-accompanied recitative piece that could have come from the 'The Soul Cages' album -- soft and reflective, but wholly effective, really a beautiful song, with a hint of folk near the end. 'Brand New Day', the title track, is an infectious tune that Sting infuses with more soul than any white British guy should ever be able to. It really works.

This is a very ambitious album, and the good moments are very good, but the experimentation is more gimmick than anything. The good news is that Sting remains an intellectual songwriter who puts a lot of thought into his music and obviously enjoys writing and performing. Jazz and reggae brought Sting a lot of fans -- he could leave rap and country behind without losing anyone.

Recommended, even with its imperfections. I grew up to Sting's music, and I would rather have an A- Sting album than most of what fills the shelves today.

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brand New Sting, November 29, 1999

By 

Patrick Murzyn (chicago, il) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Brand New Day (Audio CD)

I wasn't really blown away by this album the first time I listened to it. But the albums you usually appreciate the most are the ones you grow into. "Brand New Day" is such an album. Sound quality and musicianship are top-notch. This album once again reminds me of the lyrical mastery Sting showed us he was capable of with "The Soul Cages." From the moody and deep "A Thousand Years" and "Ghost Story," to the haunting and evocative "Desert Rose," to the playful and witty "Big Lie, Small World" and "Fill Her Up," to the catchy-pop of "After the Rain Has Fallen," I think Sting displays convincing evidence for his musical evolution. Listen to "The Soul Cages" for the musician's deep, somber introspective journey, and listen to "Brand New Day" to see what type of artist emerges from that darkness. Highly recommended for all music fans, not just those who are familiar with Sting.