Sting - Dream of the Blue Turtles - CD
It's been years since I've listened to Sting's first post Police album, and a lot about it surprised me.
First, the music is still great. The combination of Rock and Jazz makes for a very interesting sound. And the players that Sting chose for this album are all top notch.
I was surprised at how the lyrics brought back feelings of the mid-Eighties to me. This is the time of the Cold War (or nearing the end of that war), but there was also the long shadow of World War II that I wasn't aware of when I was 19. Somehow Sting captures the effects of both those wars in his lyrics, particularly in "Children's Crusade," "The Russians," "Fortress Around Your Heart" and "We Work the Black Seam."
On the flip side, the humorous songs are there, too, and they balance out the album. "Shadows in the Rain," "Dream of the Blue Turtles," and, to some degree, "If You Love Someone (Set Them Free)" all have either humorous subtext or musical ideas.
Last, I've always enjoyed Sting's singing -- but I wonder why he always seems to be straining. When I saw him at White River Ampitheater a few years ago with Annie Lennox, Annie pretty much blew him off the stage. So I guess I'm starting to wonder how good Sting is, technically, as a singer.
