He’s back. After a few years of writing calm and serene music, Sting returns to rock and is striving to stay optimistic
As Sting took up the refugee crisis for his latest album, he met in Berlin with musicians who fled Syria. The rock legend asked for their permission to record his song. "I felt it was important to have that sanction," Sting said of the track "Inshallah," in which he envisions himself on a boat like a refugee desperate for safety.
The song appears on Sting's album "57th and 9th," which comes out November 11 and marks the most rock-driven work in years by the former Police frontman. The long politically engaged artist and Amnesty International supporter, who turns 65 on October 2, also reflects somberly on his own mortality on the album. Sting asked the Syrians to share their stories and performed with them a version of "Inshallah" -- which means "God willing" in Arabic -- for the album's deluxe edition. "'Inshallah' is a beautiful word from the Arabic language which is kind of resignation -- it's God's will, it shall be -- or it's a word that describes some sort of hope, courage," Sting said.
Climate change also figures on the album in the track "One Fine Day" in which Sting playfully prays that skeptics are right and that the planet's fast-rising temperatures are all a hoax. "I would love everything to be fine and for us just to carry on what we're doing with impunity. But of course all of the scientific evidence is pointing the other way," he said. Sting said he chooses to remain upbeat despite what he sees as a rightward turn in the world.
"57th and 9th" opens in robust rock form with "I Can't Stop Thinking About You," a love song with a charging drive. Sting's studio return to his rock roots comes after a decade of experimentation including a lute album, a symphonic interpretation of Police songs and the Broadway musical "The Last Ship" about his shipbuilding hometown in northern England. After selling more than 100 million albums, Sting said he was fortunate not to worry about commercial considerations -- but wanted a change. "The most important aspect of music, in my opinion, is surprise," he said.
The album's title came from the Manhattan intersection where Sting, who lives with his actress wife Trudie Styler near Central Park, would cross each day as he walked to the studio.
Despite appearing in strong health, Sting is increasingly reflective after the deaths this year of fellow music greats including David Bowie and Prince. On the new album's song "50,000," Sting sings to a rock guitar about past glories and staring himself down in the bathroom mirror. Sting said that, with more than half of his life clearly behind him, it was time to reflect on death. "That's not to be morbid. I think to accept one's mortality is actually enriching because every day counts, every experience counts."
