Search - :: STING/ON A WINTERS NIGHT

Nothing Like the Sun: Sting ponders winter

Kevin M. Derby | Florida | 10/27/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Fresh from his reunion with the Police and his album covering the hits of Elizabethan composer John Dowland, Sting now offers "If on a Winter's Night." This is not some Christmas album with yet another cover of "Sleigh Ride" or "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas." While there are some Christmas songs, these are not the usual Yuletide fare as Sting offers up an odd look at the relationship of Joseph and Mary in the "Cherry Tree Carol." Long time Sting listeners will recognize new versions of "Gabriel's Message" and "The Hounds of Winter." There are a number of traditional English songs here and Sting is accompanied by a company of excellent musicians. There are other influences as well. The charming "You Only Cross My Mind in Winter" is based on a piece by Bach while "Cold Song" is based on a poem by John Dryden. Needless to say, this is not an album for everyone. Some of the songs are as dark as a winter's night and Sting sounds mournful and melancholy (even by his standards). It's a wonderful concept and very few artists could pull it off. Critics of Sting will call it pretentious and there may be some truth to that. The bottom line remains that Sting is one of the most versatile rock/pop artists of the last few decades having taken on rock, world, jazz, classical, Spanish and Portuguese songs, and, now, traditional English folk songs. This is a fine album for a night by the fire with a glass of brandy or a mug of hot mulled cider but, again, it is not for everyone. Fans of Sting's Dowland album will probably like it but if you prefer his stints with the Police or even his more popular solo stuff, you may find "If on a Winter's Night" a bit too cold for your liking."

If Winter Had a Soundtrack....

Stacey M Smith | Fredericksburg, TEXAS | 10/30/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is what winter would sound like - stark, still, intimate, crisp and a bit chilly. Sting dusts off old Celtic ballads and bathes them in new light-- plus he revisits some of his own music from the last decades and I believe there are a couple of new songs. This collection of music echos voices from many centuries ago, but maintains a fresh sound by reinvention. Sting's voice is rich and melodic; the arrangements and instruments are emotional and complex. Some of the songs (they are really too beautiful to be merely "songs," though) are nearly a cappella, with instruments simply coaxing forth mood. Some of the music is somber, some joyful -- all of it inspiring.



While this is certainly suitable for "the Holidays," the music on this cd is really meant to be more-- evoke a feeling of what winter can be: reflective, still, somber, a time to prepare for renewal. Some fans may be turned off by the simply pure, almost raw interpretations -- this does not sound like it has been over wrought with sound technicians and studio tricks -- no this is much more wonderful."