Customer Reviews

Brand New Day

5 star:		(279)
4 star:		(158)
3 star:		(75)
2 star:		(47)
1 star:		(39)

 

 

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!

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.

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.

I buy every CD that Sting puts out. This one was no different. I just wish I could have purchased only some of the tracks on this CD. There are songs that are instantly recognizable as great -- "A Thousand Years", "Brand New Day", "Desert Rose". After repeated listening those have been belated joined by the incredible "Fill Her Up". It evokes the country sounds present on Ten Summoners Tales, the jazz influence of The Dream of the Blue Turtles, with a lovely gospel interlude.

Yet I could do without a number of the tracks. Specifically, the grating, sappy and rediculous "Big Lie Small World", "Tomorrow We'll See" (the next in Sting's songs of prostitution), and the be-boppy "Perfect Love... Gone Wrong". Their presence on the album is going to wear out the skip button my car's CD player.

While not his best efforts, the remaining songs on the album are decent efforts. "After the Rain Has Fallen" rocks fairly well, and "Ghost Story", in the vein of The Soul Cages is ok, but not equivalent to the songs on that album.

I think this is worth the money, but I'd say that if you don't have all of the others, go ahead and get them first, starting with The Soul Cages, which is a must have for any musical collection.

At midlife, Sting's attention turns to his obsessions, as demonstrated on his latest CD, Brand New Day. Luckily, his obsessions are worthwhile...a variety of good music and powerful hooks.

OK, granted I'm a huge Sting fan anyway, but I've been disappointed off and on with his past few albums. Rest assured, this is one of his best efforts.

So, admittedly the music on Brand New Day is all over the map (I've had a joke for several years that Sting is obsessed with country music, but just can't make up his mind which country...) but I think that's what has kept me listening to it long after its novelty wore off. Sting has packed so much refreshing variety into one album, it's hard to resist.

Case in point: 'Fill Her Up'. This is a good ol' country music tune about a poor mechanic goin' ta Las Vegas with a stolen box o' his boss's money. After two minutes of sheer painful goofiness starring Sting and James Taylor in a good ol' cameo, the song pauses for a moment, and when it gets going again, it's a full out gospel romp. It's glorious. I'm sad to say that more than a few people won't get the payoff from that song, because they'll pop to the next track early in those first two minutes.

But I wonder if Sting's intention wasn't to explore that contrast a little, the contrast between the goofy front of that song, and the glorious finish. I can tell you that song was my least favorite thing on the album on my first listen, but in the end, it's become one of my favorites.

It's nice to see Sting continuing to stretch his musical muscles and, to a degree, his audience's patience. Yes, it takes patience to get hooked on this album, maybe even a little maturity, but it's well worth it.

So, stretch a little. Sting will meet you halfway. But, if you just want his Same Old Thing, you'll hate this album. If you can't meet him halfway, go listen to some old Police or Sting because and he's not doing the Same Old Thing any more.

Thank God. Because as an artist, Sting had to grow. As a member of his audience, I appreciate the chance to grow as well.

I don't understand why this album is getting so much flack. It is undoubtedly different from Sting's Nothing Like the Sun days, but who would want it to be the same? Hell, Sting is sounding quite different these days than he did with the release of Roxanne and if he didn't, he would be extremely stale by now. It's called growth. We all do it. Midlife crisis? I disagree. No sense of humor? Just listen to the tracks "Big Lie Small World" and "Perfect Love Gone Wrong" to see that Sting's wit is still intact. In my opinion this is Sting's most laid back and mood-setting album to date - some people might equate this with boredom, but I disagree. Its subtleties might demand a little more of the listener's attention than do Sting's earlier and more upbeat days and what's wrong with that? In my opinion this is as good as any of Sting's previous efforts, although no doubt very different as well (not to mention, quite eclectic too). There are many opinions here but cast all fears aside, at the very least this album deserves a few listens - and I think if you give it a chance, you'll agree with me that this is an excellent listen.

I have to preface this review by saying that I am not a "long time" Police fan ... I'd heard the "radio tunes" but I didn't really get deep into The Police until "Synchronicity." After that, I was hooked! From there I bought (and thoroughly enjoyed) "Dream of the Blue Turtles" and "Nothing Like the Sun." Didn't much care for "The Soul Cages"(WAY too dark!) but I really enjoyed "10 Summoner's Tales."

The thing that I have always appreciated about Sting is that his music is for thinking (and pretty well read) people ... who else could write a hit song and drop in a lyric about Scylla and Charybdis?

That said, "Brand New Day" is not a disc that you fall in love with on the first listen ... but bear with it - it is really excellent stuff! You have to give it time & thought - and rid yourself of conventional expectations.

For Example: Many reviewers have commented that "Tomorrow we'll see" is a "Roxanne" rehash ... not so! This song is about a MALE (in drag) prostitute! The same with "Perfect Love Gone Wrong." Its not about an ex-lover - its about a DOG who is angry that his owner has gotten a boyfriend and is suffering angst over being replaced! That the rap is in French (That's the owner rapping), is metaphoric for the fact that the Dog and the Owner are not seeing eye-to eye on the situation and are basically speaking different languages - she is telling him to "Get over it" and he is NOT feeling it!

See what I mean? You gotta delve deep on this one!

As always, the production values are excellent and Sting makes his usual forays into odd time signatures and pop/jazz/soul/rock mixtures. This is good stuff - give it a chance!

By the way - To the SERIOUS Sting-o-philes ... consider the notion that "Big Lie, Small World" could easily be the story of the OTHER guy in the song "7 Days" from TST (Remember - the Neanderthal?). Just my thought!

One last thing - the above explanations of the songs are in Sting's own words - from an EXCELLENT (non-commercial) fan website. Since I don't know if Amazon rules will allow me to post it, drop me an e-mail for the link. ;-)

Sting has always been an interesting musical case: people either love him or hate him. As one who has his entire back-catalogue, both Police and solo, I would tend to fall into the former category. Interestingly enough, though, when I bought this album back in the fall, I thought that Sting had lost the plot musically. None of the songs grabbed me, and I thought that the album was simply confirming a Sting downslide begun by his subpar 1996 effort "Mercury Falling". As a result, the CD just collected dust for several months. By sheer chance, I pulled this CD out recently and played it through again...and just happened to realize the brilliance on this later playing. What irked me, I believe, at first was the un-Sting-like touches of French rap on "Perfect Love Gone Wrong" and the flirtation with country (which actually grew on me) on "Fill Her Up". Even when Sting sounds non-Sting like (afore-mentioned dalliances with rap and country), one has to respect Sting's experimentation with other genres and efforts to avoid musical stasis- the Rolling Stones he is not. The most effective songs in this collection include "A Thousand Years" and "Desert Rose", which may not be the types of songs that will top the music charts a la "Every Breath You Take" or "Fields of Gold", but they're just as strong as these and other previous Sting-penned chart-toppers. My favourite song (and I believe the album's strongest moment) is found on "Big Lie, Small World" -- Sting's wordplay here hearkens back to his solo creative apotheosis on "Ten Summoner's Tales".

This album won't convert Sting haters into Sting fans, but it is a slow-grower, and a highly effective one at that. Added bonus: No Puff Daddy remixes!

It's been a few years since "Mercury Falling", and being an old Police fan and subsequent Sting fanatic, 48 years old also, I was a little skeptical as to the content of the man's music, as well as his voice. "Brand New Day" allayed my concerns. His words and lyrics are top-notch, and in his habit to explore new styles, "Desert Rose" is among the most beautiful and haunting songs I have ever heard. Other highlights are, "After The Rain Has Fallen"(uptempo, typical Sting sound),"Don't Judge Me"(jazzy song about a prostitute who must live day-to-day)"Fill 'Er Up"(catcthy Country tune a la "I'm so Happy..." but ends in Gospel and Jazz unfortunately IMHO),"Ghost Story"(slow pretty love song that gradually builds),and the title song,"Brand New Day" (song of a new beginning coinciding with the millennium. Nice harmonica by Stevie Wonder. All-in all,Sting's voice is sounding the best yet,and he seems more light-hearted than usual.

After reading through the completely polar reviews here, I am convinced of the adage that holds that we criticize that which we do not yet fully understand. This album is far more than just music to listen to once and make a shotgun judgement on. I have always slightly turned my head at the sound of Sting's name. However, I have only a few of his albums and would never call myself an avid, accustomed fan. I was slow to understand the work behind "Mercury Falling," his previous solo album, but with this album, it all made sense. "Brand New Day" is a sort of "greatest hits" of Sting sounds throughout the years, as well as a culmination of some of his most incredible poetry. To see this, I would reccommend just reading through the lyrics to the songs on Brand New Day online before even hearing the music.

To be able to express so much artistic influence with a strong touch of personal uniqueness is an attribute to a musician, not a sign of artistic disturbance. Empathy into what isn't being experienced in one's life, such as "being poor," is called insight and inspiration, not self-indulgence.

You don't read Wordsworth and expect substantial comedy; therefore, I would have to disagree with those who have claimed that the album is boring. As an artistic piece, the music is made to match the poetry as a whole item. Classical painters never used only those colors that they thought would be most alarming and attention-getting. They used whatever their expression called for. Brand New Day was never proclaimed as dance music or a cure for boredom. It is a successful work of art with an appropriate sound, which can range from the rhythms of release in "After the Rain Has Fallen" and of Eastern cultural energy in "Desert Rose" to the reflecting tone of "A Thousand Years." There's a little something in this for a collective of tastes, and it has in fact awakened parts of my taste that I didn't even know existed. Once you take the time to appreciate this album for the purposes it was written, you appreciate Sting as an artist in a whole new way, and not just as a popularly satisfying musician. I am anxious to look back now on his past works with the learning of what I have found about his music in Brand New Day. Every song may not be your favorite, but each song holds a place like a chapter in a novel.

With the trend in popularity that can be seen in the U.S. now, this may not be "in," but the European source of Sting's following for this album testifies to the values it appeals to -- literary and musical tastes that walk hand in hand.

I would recommend this to any full-fledged fan of music as an artistic means of poetic expression. It stands alone.