Sting 16: The Bridge

Add Sting to the list of veteran slash legendary musicians who used the Covid lockdown to see what the muse had to bring. The Bridge was indeed written and recorded under pandemic conditions, and it’s free from gimmicks. His “exclusive liner notes” explain the origins of some of the songs, but it bears saying that from the first track, the focus is on catchy tunes.

A simple drum pattern heralds “Rushing Waters”, which features the auteur harmonizing with himself over the verse before a strong chorus; from there the harmonizing isn’t as obvious, and it helps. By his own admission, “If It’s Love” is not the first pop song that treats matters of the heart with a medical condition, but it’s simply meant to be a pop song, right down to the Barry White strings that herald each chorus. “The Book Of Numbers” is helpfully described as being inspired by the architect of the Manhattan Project, but it’s a shame someone as educated as Sting didn’t see the wonky math of “three score and twenty-five”. A collaboration with DJ Maya Jane Coles, “Loving You” is the unintentional answer to “If It’s Love”, showing his quality control is somewhat lacking on an album that’s not supposed to be a concept. Luckily, the labyrinthian guitar part of “Harmony Road”—courtesy of the reliable Dominic Miller—provides a fresh sound, made even nicer when Branford Marsalis shows up with his soprano sax.

“For Her Love” begins with a guitar motif very similar to “Shape Of My Heart”, and ends with the slightest vocal hint of the similarly titled Yardbirds hit. Northumbrian instruments color “The Hills On The Border”, while “Captain Bateman” is derived and updated from an ancient ballad; both are given superior choruses that transcend mere copying. The notes tell us that “The Bells Of St. Thomas” apparently derived from a Miller melody and a Rubens painting. He’s at his breathiest here, as he’s kept the crooning to a minimum. The pretty title track closes the album simply; the liner notes include the text from a letter Sting sent Billy Joel about claiming the title for himself. (The expanded edition exclusive to Target stores in the U.S. added three extra tracks. “Waters Of Tyne” is another traditional song that shares an arrangement with the preceding title track. “Captain Bateman’s Basement” is a pleasant, jazzy instrumental variation, but we didn’t need another carbon-copy cover of “Sittin’ On The Dock Of The Bay”, even if it was sanctioned by an Alzheimer’s charity. Eight months later, that sequence formed the first disc of a “super deluxe edition” that added six live tracks and a duet of “For Her Love” in Spanish.)

We’ve been rough on the guy, and deservedly so, but The Bridge is easily Sting’s best album in 25 years. Nice to know he still had it in him. If he keeps going, hopefully he’ll have learned something.

Sting The Bridge (2021)—3