Album review: Sting's 'Symphonicities'

Leave it to Sting to join the current craze for big-band albums not with a set of standards or cool-hunting covers but with a collection of his own songs. Even during his early days with the Police, Sting carried himself with the assured air of someone whose artistic significance was a long-established fact; a couple of decades later, he gives the impression that a search for deeper, more worthwhile material simply yielded no results.

Yet if Sting's confidence can sometimes come across as arrogance, it's also what makes "Symphonicities" work: Here's a songwriter with enough belief in his creations to risk radically retooling them. Accompanied by London's Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra (with whom he's in the midst of a world tour), Sting reimagines "Roxanne" as a lush Latin ballad and gives "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" a swelling Celtic thrust.

Not everything on the 12-track disc is such a departure: "Englishman in New York," for instance, sounds more or less like the original studio version, as does "You Will Be My Ain True Love," the singer's Appalachia-inspired contribution to the film "Cold Mountain." For those selections, perhaps Sting concluded that perfection hardly needed improving.

-- Mikael Wood

Sting

"Symphonicities"

Deutsche Grammophon

Three stars (out of four)

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Comments

[thirteenburn]

Symphonicities?

Wow. REAL original there, Sting. I mean I could see the name had this album been a symphonic rendition of the Synchronicity album, but it's not, so...

I will never understand how Sting came to the delusional conclusion that he's somehow far more successful as a solo artist rather than as a member of The Police when it's been proven each and every album that this just isn't true?

Mind-numbing. Completely and utterly mind-numbing is the only descriptor one can come to when speaking of Sting's mindset concerning the most important band in my lifetime, with the one exception of U2.

[Josquin]

I went to his Symphonicity concert when he was in town, and I was about the only person under 45 (my dad's a fan, got me hooked). Even though I was the only one at the venue who wanted to stand and sing along (until receiving dirty looks from the polos and khakis), it was a great time. STING ROCKS, MAN!! And the LRPCO's conductor has got SPUNK. I'ma buy the album.

[sting fan]

I wonder why this writer felt the need to slam Sting for having a strong belief in himself when that is what is essential for success and survival in a world that spits people out on a second-to-second basis. Sting has used his talents for good again and again. Can this writer say the same thing?

[bimplebean]

"Arrogant?" Maybe. Warranted? Certainly!

Original? Who cares? It's the quality of the work, not the format, which matters.

[jomiku]

The review is somewhat incorrect. Sting did not do the arrangements; the songs were "reinterpreted with brand new orchestrations arranged by Jorge Calandrelli, David Hartley, Michel Legrand, Rob Mathes, Vince Mendoza, Steven Mercurio, Bill Ross, Robert Sadin, and Nicola Tescari."

[Not a fan]

Thirteenburn: right on!

sting fan: because Sting's right to be arrogant is the only edgy thing writers can come up with that makes him slightly interesting.

Writers insist on making us think that this guy is more fabulous, more amazing than any of his work since 1984 deserves. Maybe he dazzles them with his good looks and sexy accent.

"Symphonicity" is the stupidest title I've ever heard.

[Tony Powell]

thirteenburn:

Sting followed up 5 platinum albums with the Police with 7 platinum (and 2 multi-platinum) as a solo artist. Hardly a "delusional conclusion."

By the way, does anyone know who the orchestrator is for this album?

[Terri]

London Philharmonic Orchestra