Sting, Cheb Mami - 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 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? --Beth Massa Amazon.com essential recording

Sting

I have 2 copies of this cd. One for home and one for the car. it's the best!!!! January 19, 2008

Wonderful complexity and depth....

Sting continues to press against creative boundaries into new places, with his seemingly effortless marrying of music and vocals. January 5, 2008

Best album of the last decade ...

A strange boast for sure to say that this album could quite possibly go down as the best album of the past decade as it was released in the waning moments of 1999. I wont forget though, that just a few months later an equally strong release by U2 made possible another contender for a spot on that list of unforgettable albums.

Brand New Day though, as commercial as it is, being in everything from episodes of CSI, Cold Case, NBC promo spots and numerous films, was also in heavy rotation for television commercials as well, foremost the Sting sponsored Jaguar S-Type commercial that featured `Desert Rose'. Stranger still, Sting thought that the album might be missed if he didn't branch out and try to cross-promote his new album in every way imaginable. He talks about this a lot on his All This Time DVD, which is a must see companion piece to this album. Looking back now, he's probably thankful for the check but probably believes he could've done without Jaguar's money (actually Ford Motor company).

It would've been impossible for this album to have faded into the background with songs like `A Thousand Years', `Ghost Story' and `Desert Rose'. The latter is actually my least favorite on the entire album and often gets skipped past. So many songs on this disk are absorbing, well-written, absolutely beautiful and in every way timeless.

Sting then went on to create a very bizarre and telling music video for the Brand New Day title cut which put him in the place of a nuevo-like God from a lost episode of Star Trek which actually turns out to be a (you guessed it) commercial for Laundry Soap called `Day' and yes, it's Brand New! The video ends with the great creator Sting taking a header off of a sound stage in front of a green screen into an impromptu-pool and then having a fit. I only describe this now because it seems to play into the myth about Sting's perceived public persona. The music video and the album does play out to be more introspective then it appears to be on the surface in every facet and weathers incredibly well over time, unlike many of his other albums.

Sting's strong point throughout his career has been his writing and his composition which is now much evident here, though his myriad personality takes a lot of his solo work too-deep into the labyrinth of recording and post-production which seems to get too close to a multi-layered Phil Specter or a bad incarnation of Vangelis with lyrics.

Sting proved through the late eighties and early nineties that he was capable of creating throw away and forgettable albums that were just badly managed. His time during The Police showed his profound abilities and seemed like he'd prove to create a promising solo career, but his early solo work showed a lot of overwrought nonsense that most people just cannot bear to listen to, despite the fan boys. It wasn't until he hit a stride with Ten Summoner's Tales that he really began to show what has come full circle on Brand New Day. Brand New Day seems to be the Sting solo album that everyone was waiting two decades for.

I recently read that Sting had worked on `A Thousand Years' for weeks, trying to develop that sound that hits you like a brick wall as soon as the album fades in. Every song, one after another seem, at least to me, equally thoughtful and always engaging. We may not know for sure now, but I wouldn't doubt that Brand New Day will end up as the high water mark for this man's career. If it is, that's not necessarily a bad thing. If he can best himself, the that will surely be something to hear.

As far as the greatest album of the decade ... this will probably hold the number one spot followed by All That You Can't Leave Behind by U2 and then David Bowie's Heathen, and the Killers Hot Fuss and Jay Z's The Black Album which are all equally masterful and worthy of the number one spot in their own right.

December 28, 2007

Brand New Day cd

This is one of my favorite Sting CDs. I also have the DVD from the Tour which is great. This, I think, is one of his classic CDs by its content. The songs are great, some become hits, like Desert Rose. I really think this is one of his best work. I especially like After the Rain has Fallen; Tomorrow We'll See; Fill Her Up; Ghost Story; and the title track, Brand New Day. I recommend it. December 21, 2007

Not my favorite but

I am always amazed when reading reviews of Sting's work at how many of the reviewers dislike Sting to begin with. Why are they writing about an artist they dislike? A better question would be, why are they listening to an artist they dislike? The other group that gets to me are the ones who compare all his work to either his early solo work or his work with the police. For God's sake, move on! What musician worth his salt wants to do the same thing over and over?
Having said all that, I must admit that "Brand New Day" is not my favorite Sting CD. While there are some excellent tracks, the title track, "Desert Rose","A Thousand Years" and the beautiful "Ghost Story" , there are some duds as well. "Perfect Love....Gone Wrong"(what was he thinking with the rap!), "Fill Her Up" and "Tomorrow We'll See"(been there, done that), the CD is an over-all success. December 13, 2007

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