… Nothing Like The Sun (1987)

Sting’s sophomore record, …Nothing Like the Sun, is where he leans all the way into the world music and jazz that would come to define his solo run. It doesn’t front-load the singles the way his debut did, but it holds together start to finish, and it’s the album where he stops sounding like the guy who used to front The Police and starts sounding like Sting.

The Lazarus Heart opens on his signature move, world-inspired flutes and steel drums, and Englishman in New York is the obvious standout single, carried by that instantly recognizable rhythm. If you’re working from the Expanded Edition, the back half piles on remixes worth a spin.

The middle of the record is where the mood sets in. Be Still My Beating Heart, They Dance Alone, Fragile, and Sister Moon all run smooth and jazzy, and while a couple of them don’t do much standing alone, they click into place inside the album. That’s the whole trick here: this is a record, not a singles collection.

It’s a mellower album, but it’s not asleep. We’ll Be Together brings straight mid-1980s dance-pop, and Rock Steady is a full-on jazz-rock dance number. Then there’s Up From the Skies, a self-indulgent 10-minute jazz workout that’s Sting flexing how deep the musicianship goes, for better and worse.

…Nothing Like the Sun is a solid, cohesive chapter in the catalog where every song pulls its weight and the momentum never sags. It’s not a no-skip album, but the way it flows makes it an easy one to own, especially if you’re here for the more adventurous, jazz-leaning side of Sting.

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Highlight Songs:

• The Lazarus Heart

• Englishman In New York

• Up From The Skies

• Sister Moon

• Rock Steady

• Little Wing

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Own it, Stream it, Forget about it?

Worth owning, especially if you care about how Sting grew after The Police. Not every track grabs you on its own, but as a full listen it shows off his range and his appetite for experimenting.

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Overall Rating:

4 Stars