Fields Of Gold: The Best Of Sting 1984-1994

Performer: Sting
Artist: Branford Marsalis; Andy Summers; Eric Clapton; Mark Knopfler; Ruben Blades; Vinx
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Personnel includes: Sting (vocals, guitar, bass), Stoker (programming). Producers: Hugh Padgham, Sting (tracks 1, 3-4, 8, 10, 14), Pete Smith, Sting (tracks 2, 5, 13), Neil Dorfsman, Sting (tracks 6-7, 9, 11-12). Digitally remastered by Bob Ludwig and Mark Mazzetti (Gateway Mastering Studios). All songs written by Sting. "When We Dance" was nominated for a 1996 Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. Emerging from new wave on the wings of hits like "Roxanne" and "Don't Stand So Close To Me," the Police perfected an appealing synthesis of reggae, pop and freewheeling instrumental flourishes rooted in the power trio conventions of earlier electric blues bands. Yet for all the elemental tension Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland brought to each arrangement, Sting's keening tenor and canny ear for melodic hooks propelled the band's popularity. As his writing skills matured through SYNCHRONICITY, Sting's need for artistic control--and a tighter rhythmic focus--necessitated a band in which he was the unquestioned leader. FIELDS OF GOLD chronicles the work of a classic pop vocalist who is simply unwilling to rest on his laurels--a wide ranging collection of brainy power pop, with two new songs ("When We Dance" and "This Cowboy") acting as stylistic bookends. Saxophonist Branford Marsalis and bassist Daryl Jones add key elements of jazz and soul to such confessional hits as "If You Love Somebody Set Them Free" and "Fortress Around Your Heart," while Sting's infatuation with Brazilian music animates the tender "Fragile." As his metaphysical and political muse evolved, Sting's orchestrations grew more ambitious, from the reggaeish strings of "Englishman In New York," through the lush, keyboard-inflected R&B of "If I Ever Lose My Faith In You" and the edgy funk of "We'll Be Together." FIELDS OF GOLD is a remarkably classy, consistent set of tunes.

Entertainment Weekly (11/11/94, p.76) - "...Addicted to lounge-jazz tapestries and proverbs pretending to be profound....but he's melodic enough that his pretension barely gets in the way....His best solo hits could almost pass for the Police..." - Rating: B Q (12/94, p.172) - 4 Stars - Excellent - "...[it's] strength lies in the esoteric moments when, unusually for a middle-aged former chart-topper, Sting shows no fear of experimentation...from Andean pipes, through flamenco guitar and...funk to the...reggae where it all began..."

To some, the Englishman born under the name Gordon Sumner will always be known as the bassist, songwriter, and frontman of the Police. But Sting's mega-successful solo career from the 1980s into the 21st century may even overshadow his former band's fame. Crafty lyrics and a clever hybrid of rock, jazz, pop, and world music have made him an international star, and he proudly inhabits the role of the pensive celebrity. While his former bandmates search out uncharted territory, Sting continues to pursue the spotlight with his own brand of soulful, grown-up pop. Throughout his career, Sting has also dabbled in various acting roles, appearing in films directed by numerous cinema luminaries.

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