フォーマット |
CD |
---|---|
構成数 |
1 |
国内/輸入 |
輸入 (International Version) |
パッケージ仕様 |
- |
発売日 |
2016年11月11日 |
---|---|
規格品番 |
5717450 |
レーベル |
|
SKU |
602557174502 |
構成数 | 1枚
合計収録時間 | 00:48:36
Sting seemed to tire of pop songs sometime early in the 21st century, wandering away from the format after 2003's well-mannered Sacred Love. Over the next 13 years, he entertained his esoteric interests -- he collaborated on a classical album, he rearranged his old tunes for an orchestra, he reunited the Police, he wrote a musical -- before he returned to pop/rock with 2016's 57th & 9th. The fact that he named this comeback album after the intersection he crossed on his way to the studio speaks to the workmanlike aspect of 57th & 9th: there is no grand concept, no unifying aesthetic -- it's merely a collection of pop songs. This is hardly a bad thing. Sting has often undervalued his skills as a craftsman, so hearing him deliver ten sharply crafted songs is appealing. Playing with a studio band featuring drummer Josh Freese and guitarist Lyle Workman, Sting manages to work up a head of steam on occasion -- "I Can't Stop Thinking About You" opens the album with an insistent pulse, "Petrol Head" evokes memories of "Synchronicity II" -- but he spends as much time delivering tunes with a delicate touch. Much of the last half of the record is devoted to introspection, but unlike the fussy Sacred Love, the ballads here benefit from a brighter, open production and a singer/songwriter who feels invested in sculpting his melodies with the same care that he gives his lyrics. Sting sifts through familiar territory with songs of protest sitting alongside songs of yearning and love, and it all adds up to record that's simultaneously unassuming and revealing: through its modest nature, 57th & 9th stands as a testament to Sting's inherent gifts as a songwriter and record-maker. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
エディション | Deluxe Edition
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1.[CD]
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1.I Can't Stop Thinking About You
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2.50000
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3.Down Down Down
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4.One Fine Day
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5.Pretty Young Soldier
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6.Petrol Head
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7.Heading South On The Great North Road
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8.If You Can't Love Me
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9.Inshallah
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10.The Empty Chair
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11.I Can't Stop Thinking About You [LA Version]
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12.Inshallah [Berlin Sessions Version]
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13.Next to You [Live at Rockwood Music Hall]
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ぶっといドラムス&ギターがリードする冒頭曲を聴き、ポリスの再結成ツアーを思い出した。それもあって、〈やっぱりコレだよ!〉とか〈13年ぶりのロック回帰!〉と言いたくなる気持ちもわかる。が、スティングはそんな枠に収まる男じゃない。ロックはもちろん、ジャズやクラシック音楽、トラッドほか、さまざまなスタイルに挑戦して成功を収め、〈もうやることはないんじゃないの!?〉とも思える彼が、みずからの音楽的な欲望に忠実になったこの新作は、集大成と呼ぶに相応しい奥深い一枚だ。ボトムの低い溌剌としたギター・ロックをはじめ、弾き語りによる内省的な曲や難民問題にフォーカスしたもの、プリンスの訃報を受けて書いたというナンバーなど内容は多彩で、しかもこの人ならではの美メロが軸にあり、バンド的なアンサンブルと生々しい鳴り音が特徴的だ。だからこそ楽器を肩にかけた姿をジャケにし、スタジオのある交差点を表題にしたのだろう。流石はスティング、贅肉なんて一切なし。
bounce (C)大鷹俊一タワーレコード (vol.397(2016年11月25日発行号)掲載)