Endless Sounds: Ten Summoner's Tales
Sting - Ten Summoner's Tales (1993)
Bass-extraordinaire Sting of Police fame has throughout his solo career always been walking a tightrope between the soft pleasantries of pop and sophisticated complexities of technical musicianship.
It's very hit or miss. Some songs (tales, even) are masterfully put together and fuse his tightrope M.O. with incredible grace. If I Ever Lose My Faith in You and Seven Days (that 5/4 Vinnie Colaiuta drumming, mwah!) glide with such silky elegance and romantic drama. There's a sun-kissed melancholy to Shape of My Heart and Fields of Gold that I absolutely adore, the Celtic undertones of the latter joining Sting's musical balancing act.
Others, like Love Is Stronger Than Justice (The Munificent Seven), She's Too Good for Me and Saint Augustine in Hell have a very rootsy twang and at times sardonic humor that jars the sincerity on display over the rest of the album. A jazzy breakdown full of snark in a bluesy pop rock track to underline not being good or fancy enough to someone is a novel idea, but comes across rather silly. Another jazzy break interrupts a jamming organ-heavy rock song with a devilish personality introducing the residents of Hell: cardinals, archbishops, accountants and music critics, tied up with a villainous and theatrical laughter that could very well have been performed by the likes of Tim Curry. Hilarious, again, if a bit silly.
Only one question remains: Which one isn't a Summoner's Tale?
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