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95 of 108 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Sting travels a wide musical map, January 21, 2000
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.
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