The solo career continues in fine form...
The true second solo album, after "The Dream of The Blue Turtles" and the double disc live set, "Bring On The Night", shows Sting continuing his strong pop sensibilities, but now adding more "flavors" to the mix.
"The Lazarus Heart" may be a lyric gauze, but it sure starts off the album energetically, doesn't it? The tempo just gallops along with dynamo drumming.
"Be Still My Beating Heart" hearkens back to those Police songs with instantly recognizable bass lines. I'm thinking "Walking On The Moon" or "Canary In A Coalmine."
With "Englishman In New York", he constructs another mini-movie, again using the first person. It bounces along with a melody so simple that you'll be humming it for days. The chorus is stupid-catchy, and the 'scene' where somebody walks by with a boombox (at least that's how I took it) is grin-inducing.
"History Will Teach Us Nothing" is a twitchy mess, almost melody-less, which coming from Sting says a LOT.
"They Dance Alone" is the overt political piece for this particular album; it's achingly beautiful. It's a companion song to U2's "Mothers of The Disappeared" (from "The Joshua Tree"), and both stun. Its' simple words conjure haunting images.
"Fragile" is a masterpiece, and you realize it after one listen. The melody serves the lyrics, the arrangement serves the song...it's as 'perfect' as a pop song gets.
"We'll Be Together" was the album's first single, and justifiably so. You kind of want Sting to pick up the tempo from time to time, you know? Here he does, with an irresistible melody...it's catchy as hell...and again drops in a bit of the first single from the LAST album just for kicks near the end.
'Straight To My Heart' is an uptempo love song set to an unusual beat, 7/8 or 15/8 or something. The song features more of that classic Sting vocal sound, with that airy soaring tone that irritates non-fans, but is one of the most recognizable voices in rock.
The albums descends into mediocrity at this point...it was on it's way to being one for the ages, but "Rock Steady" is "Consider Me Gone, part 2"...and just as weak. "Sister Moon" is OK if you don't pay attention. "Little Wing" is a Hendrix cover where he plays with Gil Evans. And "The Secret Marriage" takes effort to even recall.
That said, this album was by far better than 99% of what was out there in 1987, and that still holds true today.
Passionate. Political. Painful. Powerful. Poignant!
Nothing Like the Sun has all the elements of a masterpiece. Sting's eloquence and velvety delivery in singing is both soothing, sensual and "STING"ing. In his liner notes, he gives us brief backgrounds on each song, starting with the incident leading to "Sister Moon". "Fragile" is simply gorgeous with its acoustic guitar playing hauntingly behind soul-stirring lyrics ("on & on the rain will fall, like tears from the star...on & on the rain will say how fragile we are...)
What I love about this album is how different styles of music are woven together. From the sleek saxophone of Brandford Marsalis on "Sister Moon" to the legendary Gil Evans & his orchestra on the surreal remake of Hendrick's, "Little Wing". Elements of jazz, reggae, pop, rock and latin rythyms are masterfully placed within each track. The messages range from the playful "Englishman in New York" to the piercing cry of loss and anguish in the "They Dance Alone".
Other standouts include "Straight to My Heart" with a bouncy melody reminiscent of The Police and "Be Still My Beating Heart" which has one of the funkiest basslines and percussion arrangements I've ever heard. (Andy Summers plays guitar on this track)
"We'll Be Together" was the upbeat, funky tune that had everyone dancing and singing it's catchy hook. (remember the MTV video?) It definitely showcases the massive talents of the band and singers Sting used for this project and subsequent ones.
Nothing Like the Sun is a must have for your Sting collection. Like the rest of his work, it stands the test of time Peace. CLB.
My boy Stingsy strikes again!! (the first time)
There are but two extraneous songs on this album: "The Lazarus Heart" and "The Secret Marriage". Other than those two, this album is a diamond mine of excellent music, done by what has to be the most professional solo artist to appear on the scene in the last quarter century.
Sting is a better lyricist than Paul McCartney, at least as good a tunesmith as Donovan, who he bares a strong aesthetic link to, is intelligent, literate and probably just what Malcolm McDowell would be if he ever swallowed a couple of nice-nice pills and took up music! Herr Sumner takes some very diverse idioms, like Hora music, (on "Straight To My Heart",) a first person narrative, ("Englishman In New York",) storytelling, ("Rock Steady",) a mournful waltz, ("They Dance Alone", one of the most soulful songs on the album,) and Caribbean calypso, ("We'll Be Together Tonight",) and presents it all as a cohesive whole that holds your attention from beginning to end. A good selection of eighties' ascendent jazz musicians aid the former Police-man on this incredible album.
Considering that NO ONE has produced music as good as this or "Ten Summoner's Tales" in over 25 years, I hope Sting has 1) His star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, 2) Is in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in a prominent spot and 3) Finally makes a good movie where he isn't playing a villain!
Highly recommended!
Nothing's Like Sting's Great work!!!
I have Sting's ''Brand New Day'' and ''Sacred Love''....But this one is my ultimate favorite along with another compilation titled ''Mercury Falling''.
The content here is intelligent, political, disturbing and most of all-- it's damned good quality music. Some of the songs give a warm, slightly jazzy feeling like ''Sister Moon'' and ''Fragile''. The album also takes a turn for the upbeat side when mentioning tracks like ''We'll Be Together''.
There's a wide Latin, jazz and reggae influence over this album. And as usual the man writes excellent music, just shows you how much influence this man has had over other artists. I'm not surprised he left ''The Police'' because without doubt he was the more visible part of the band.
Naturally he writes from his heart, the words are pure and intellectual...that must take some great talent.
Think carefully....there are only a few excellent artists out there today that have written the most memorable music-- (similar to this genre) only a handful of artists like Sinead O'Connor, U2, Eric Clapton, Phil Collins, Lenny Kravitz, Seal, Tori Amos, Michael Bolton, Bon Jovi and Annie Lennox respectively. Those are seven of the most flawless music writers today, but Oh oh....Sting still reigns the most admired and respected of all.
My favorite song on this album is ''They Dance Alone (Cueca Solo)''-- even though I'm South African I lived in Chile for 6 years, so I know the whole story about ''Los Desapercidos'' and I admire Sting so much for having the guts to stand up for those people, it's got lyrics like ''If they were to speak these words, They'd go missing like the others''. For a similar song, get U2's ''Joshua Tree'' which has the song ''Mothers Of The Disappeared''. Also if you're interested in this subject check out the movie or best-selling book called ''House Of The Spirits'' by Isabel Allende.
This is Sting at his absolute best.
EXCELLENT!
the Dream of the blue turtles is nothing like the Sun...
Personally i Never Knew Sting Was this GOOD!, I've recently gotten into sting, i discovered "The dream of the blue turtles" and i though" it Can't get ant better then this" Then i discovered "Nothing Like the sun" might be even a tad bit better "The Dream of the blue turtles", But i think Sting upped it a few notches with nothing like the sun, cause it is severly amazing,
From the very beginning of this C.D. its perfect, Starting off with the Lazarus heart, a fast tempo catchy song! then slowing it done to a sensual be still my beating heart was simply wonderful, Then moving onto one of my favorites and Englishman In New York, this C.D. is super the highlights are
The lazarus Heart, Englishman in new York, they dance alone fragile, sister moon and little wing, not to mention the Spanish version of this C.D. "Nada Como El Sol", Sting did it again with this Album claiming his Seat in superstardom
Sting's second and most conceptually dense solo album moved on from jazz to ideas picked up from Latin music. Even when he's not using Latin music's tricky polyrhythms, the melodies of the ballad "Be Still My Beating Heart" and the hit dance single "We'll Be Together" suggest he'd been listening to lots of salsa. If you can sting, you can cross-pollinate, too, and there are some other subtle hybrids here, notably the Gil Evans Orchestra's gliding arrangement of Jimi Hendrix's "Little Wing" and the reggae-in-a-Cole Porter suit of "Englishman in New York." Of course, the former schoolteacher has some lyrical messages to deliver and the three songs that originally made up the second side of a double LP are a bitter meditation on Latin American politics and history. --Douglas Wolk
