My Songs (2019)
My Songs is a record of re-recorded versions of some of Sting’s most beloved solo and Police tracks. Revisiting classics and updating them for a modern audience sounds appealing on paper, but the end results don’t really improve any of these songs. That may not have been the goal in the first place. This might be less a do-over and more an answer to the question, “What if Sting wrote and recorded all of these hits today?”
The main problem is that the updates and modern production don’t add much to the originals. Sting was already on the cutting edge when he first released these, and a lot of his iconic songs were brilliantly produced the first time around.
Some tracks get a more electronic or dance-leaning sound, but those changes don’t move the needle. They don’t hurt the originals, they just don’t add anything either, with one exception: the updated Fragile, which I do think beats the original. And the album isn’t without its merits. Sting’s vocals are as strong and expressive as they’ve ever been.
Here’s where I land. On pure execution, My Songs is a 4.5-star album. But it’s an unnecessary one, so it gets docked a full star. Fans of Sting’s classic hits will probably stick with the originals. But if this record is your first exposure to anything Sting, you might become a fan on the spot. This is a tough one.
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Highlight Songs:
Fragile
Desert Rose
Englishman in New York
Message In A Bottle
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Own it, Stream it, Forget about it?
If this was the only greatest hits album you could find for Sting, then buy it. It does the job and is a good listen, but I prefer the originals for the most part. It’s fun to see what they would sound like in this modern age of music, but if a song is amazing already then it doesn’t need to be tweaked. Stream it and decide which versions you like more and then move on.
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Overall Rating:
3.5 Stars
