/ 6 February 2004

The sacred quest for youth

CD of the week:

Sting: Sacred Love

Is Sting trying to stay forever young? When listening to his latest album, Sacred Love (Universal), one gets the impression that he’s trying to be with it by dashing bits of fashionable genres into his music to win over new (and young) fans while trying to prove to the Sting faithful that he’s still the man.

It’s a stylish effort, sure, with a nifty, sepia-toned CD sleeve, and typically poetic-sounding Sting lyrics. However, on the opener Inside, a jazzy number with Sting in his speaking-singing mode, the road already gets bumpy when the track hits a noisy, repetitive stretch.

Send Your Love is a good mix incorporating an Eastern influence, but it’s followed by the nondescript duo Whenever I Say Your Name, with the fashionable Mary J Blige pouring out the obligatory diva oohs and aahs. And on the dance-inflected Never Coming Home, one feels out of breath on Sting’s behalf as he tries to keep up with the beat.

On tracks such as Dead Man’s Rope and Stolen Car (Take Me Dancing) Sting is in his soulful mode, complete with gentle melody — the kind of stuff that has fuelled many a candlelit dinner; but when he updates this style, like with the chill funk effort of Forget about the Future, it sadly doesn’t leave much of an impression.

The lesson Sting should learn from this album is that less can be better — just listen to the beautiful simplicity of The Book of My Life featuring sitar player Anoushka Shankar. There’s no need to impress the kids, really.

Linkin Park: Live in Texas (Gallo)

Raw energy. That’s what bursts forth from this nifty CD and DVD set. Not only are there 12 Linkin Park hits being performed to a tee by the band, and with appropriately hysterical crowd support, but the DVD expands that number to 17 — and in surround sound. At times the boys don’t add much variation from the album versions, though, which is somewhat disappointing. Yes, Limp Bizkit are coming to South Africa. Get this album, however, and you’ll be clamouring loudly for Linkin Park instead. — Riaan Wolmarans

Pete Tong: Essential Selection (Gallo)

I’m not sure what is so essential about this selection; Tong may be a popular Brit house DJ, but this album certainly doesn’t stand out much from the masses. The tracks aren’t too commercial, as one might have expected from someone who has been called the British Derek the Bandit, but the tone is subdued, more monotonous at times than sexily smooth, which seems to have been the intention. It should rather have been called Entertaining but Somewhat Forgettable Selection. — RW

Various: It’s Called Rock (EMI)

One sighs and expects another hoary selection of Meatloaf tracks for old fogeys, but this double CD — despite its not-so-delectable denim cover — is more sublime than one would imagine. Yes, there’s the old chestnuts of Queen and Toto, but the day is saved by the inclusion of not-often-heard tracks (or at least not any more) by the likes of Status Quo, David Bowie, Iron Maiden, Muddy Waters and Rainbow — with as recent additions as Weezer and the ever-creative Placebo. And it manages to cross a reasonably representative range of rock genres over the past few decades. Try it out. — RW