Occasionally, someone remembers that I used to write CD reviews and lobs something my way. Yesterday brought an advance copy of Sting's latest, so I thought I'd share the review. I don't think it'll get me an invite to any of his future concerts...
------------------------------
There's any number of questions that a reviewer has when listening to a new album, and "Is it any good?" would seem to be chief among them. There is, in fact, a far deeper and more basic question to be considered.
Why make the album in the first place?
In the case of "Symphonicites", Sting's latest, the answer eludes me. There are no new songs on the album, just a selection from his solo albums and a couple from his Police days. I say "a selection" deliberately, as this is no "Best Of" - unless he thinks "I Hung My Head" was one of his best, of course.
"Symphonicities" is a bunch of songs with orchestral backing, a conceit that is sometimes indulged by songwriters who think they know more about music than they actually do. The concept is not automatically a disaster, as Ian Anderson and others have shown, but, let's be honest, it usually is. As Sting happily demonstrates.
The original "Roxanne" had a sparse charm, a desolation in the production that matched the bleak love expressed by the lyrics. However, thirty-two years later, it seems that what Sting really wanted was a lush orchestration to ornament his observations on loving a Parisian prostitute. Who knew? Similarly, all the urgency of "Everything She Does Is Magic" is ripped out by having a galumphing orchestra bouncing through it.
Why add an orchestra, then? Surely, it ought to be because there is some nuance that can only be brought out by the woodwind section, or the horns, or... something. Maybe some radical scoring can transform a well-known song into a different and intriguing piece? Well, you won't be getting any nuances here, or anything radical. "An Englishman In New York" was originally recorded with an orchestra, and the only tiny difference between it and the version on "Symphonicities" is a slight increase in the pizzicato strings.
If you want to do orchestration properly, you use it when it's appropriate. "You Will Be My Ain True Love" cries out for some long whistles, and possibly some pentatonic fiddle work, not a grand horn intro underscored with harp, strings and snare drum. "When We Dance" isn't improved by a violin section playing the exact accompaniment it had on "Fields Of Gold", it's just... different. No better, no worse, no added value, nothing new to say. Apart from "I can do orchestras now, Mum! Look, Mum!"
My brother, a librarian, spends some of his leisure time at a local college where he's learned the art of blacksmithing. These days, he can do twisty metal with the best of them. And yet, he can't bang out a spare engine for my car with his hammer, because, he claims, "That's a different skill" - and he's right. Similarly, there's a skill in writing five minute pop songs, and a skill in orchestrating, and they're not the same. Why not accept the songwriting skill with gratitude, and carry on using it to shift millions of albums, rather than trying to demonstrate questionable skill in other areas, and... not?
Have a listen to a few tracks over at Amazon, and if you like what you hear, buy "Symphonicities". If you have the original songs already, though, you'll be wasting your money.
In the "Homerpalooza" episode of The Simpsons, a tech guy enters the backstage area and shouts "Who is playing with the London Symphony Orchestra? Come on people, somebody ordered the London Symphony Orchestra. Possibly while high." Sting, I'm looking in your general direction.
"Symphonicities" is released on 19th July.
No comments:
Post a Comment