Brand New Day (1999)
Brand New Day does a lot of things extremely well and then it does a lot of things extremely just fine. It is a record that is all about creating an atmosphere and building songs to fit inside of it. Many of the songs on this record blend together sonically, and there is nothing wrong with that, but it is not what made Sting as a solo artist so great. Some constants of Sting on this record are that he continues to incorporate world music and sounds into his own work and he still finds new ways to blend his love for jazz and pop/rock together. Albeit the latter is not as high energy as his first couple of records, but the influence is still there.
The first song on the record, A Thousand Years, sets the tone for Brand New Day with its romantic lyrics and catchy melody. It is followed by Desert Rose, which is one of Sting’s greatest songs he has ever created. Featuring Algerian singer, Chebi Mami, Sting blends Middle Eastern and western pop music expertly. With a hypnotic melody and a chorus you can’t get out of your head, Desert Rose is one to play until your ears stop working.
Perfect Love… Gone Wrong is an interesting balance of reggae rhythms and the soulful vocals that were all over Mercury Falling. Once you feel like you’ve got the song figured out, then comes the female French rap. It throws you for a total loop, but it surprisingly works incredibly well. It is fun, unique and danceable all together. Well done, Sting. Keeping it fresh from time to time!
Right before the upbeat and celebratory self titled single, Brand New Day, is the country and blues guitar driven Fill Her Up. Seemingly echoing some of the twang and country of earlier successful Sting songs, Fill Her Up threatens to become lost in the sea of averageness. Halfway through enters those Mercury Falling backing vocals. Then, the song builds into this energetic off beat jam session filled to the brim with jazz and swagger. It is fantastic.
——————————————————
Highlight Songs:
Desert Rose
A Thousand Years
Perfect Love… Gone Wrong
Fill Her Up
Brand New Day
——————————————————
Own it, Stream it, Forget about it?
I think you could get away with streaming this one. Own it if more than the highlight songs do something for you, but I would rather throw a couple of the songs on a Sting playlist and call it a day. It’s a solid album, though.
——————————————————
Overall Rating:
3.5 Stars
