Forget about the eras of “Roxanne” and “Brand New Day.” Sting is back with a more sagacious and weathered outlook on life which, unfortunately, translates to nearly 55 minutes of soulful whining.
In Sacred Love, Sting takes a sharp turn away from his passionate youthful days of self-examination to tackle the intense sound of adulthood.
However, these profound thoughts on the human spirit and the choice between love and war are often lost in the verbosity of the opening lyrics.
The audience is too tangled in the complexity of the meaning to appreciate the music.
As usual, Sting once again charters the waters of love, but this time he pleads the need to rescue love from underneath the layers of life. New outfit, same story.
That said, the album is not altogether without its benefits. Once you get past the first few songs, Sacred Love appeals to some of the more die-hard Sting fans with the trademark semi-rock, semi-dance, “Send Your Love.”
Never one to shy away from challenges, Sting incorporates all likes of music from the sitar sounds of Anoushka Shankar to the gospel-sounding sweetness of Mary J. Blige.
On Sacred Love, Sting serves up eleven songs that provide more soul than could be necessarily desired.
Through it all, though, Sting’s talent remains evident, but the packaging lacks the finishing touches necessary to stand up to some of his past works.
The lyrics lay too heavy on the soft melody.
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