Sting has dabbled in reggae from the very first Police album, and occasionally since then, but it’s still surprising that four decades later, after forcing himself into nearly every other genre, he’d submerge himself in an entire album of the stuff. Yet 44/876 is a collaboration with dancehall superstar (and native Jamaican) Shaggy, whose expertise and style rules the proceedings, to their benefit.
If not for his distinctive vocals, Sting seems almost like an embellishment, but he gets credit for composition on every track. (Adding to the confusion: the producer credited as Sting International is not a megalomaniacal sobriquet for Gordon Sumner, but the stage name of an actual producer.) “Morning Is Coming”, “Waiting For The Break Of Day”, and “22nd Street” could easily work on a Sting album, while the title track, “Just One Lifetime”, and “To Love And Be Loved”, to mention a few, don’t benefit much from his interjections. “Don’t Make Me Wait” is certainly catchy, especially if you’ve already heard Marley’s “Waiting In Vain”. “Dreaming In The U.S.A.” has a mild “Roxanne” guitar in the verse that’s not as noticeable when you realize it’s in a major key. Still, it takes a lot of balls to write a song called “Sad Trombone” in an era when that’s become a ubiquitous clichéd sound effect. (Target customers and digital downloaders got four extra tracks, including a remix of “Don’t Make Me Wait” and an arrangement of “Love Changes Everything”, the main song from a less-than-beloved Andrew Lloyd Webber production, that sounds way too much like “Ring Of Fire”.)
Were this 20 years ago, we could probably pass this off to customers looking for a new reggae CD; whether that would incur the wrath of purists, we can’t say. 44/876 is harmless, mildly enjoyable, and fine for background music at whatever Starbucks or mall clothing store you choose to frequent.
Sting & Shaggy 44/876 (2018)—3
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