The Bridge (Super Deluxe Edition)＜限定盤＞

昨年リリースの最新アルバム『The Bridge』に、パリのパンテオンでの荘厳な演奏6曲とスペイン語歌唱「ポル・ス・アモール」 (Por Su Amor)を収録したCDを追加した2CDスーパー・デラックス・エディション。

Sting conceived of the concept of The Bridge after he completed its recording. Looking back at the polished, subtly and familiarly adventurous pop songs he composed, he realized the connecting thread between the tunes was connection itself -- bridges between cultures, people, and eras, with water imagery alternating between comfort and danger. It takes some close listening to discern these elements of The Bridge, as it plays as smoothly as anything hes released in the 21st century. Happily, he retains the melodic sharpness that characterized 57th & 9th, his last solo album of straight-forward pop tunes. The Bridge isnt quite as crisp and clean as that 2016 effort, yet it moves along at a quick clip -- the entire album clocks in at 36 minutes, while the deluxe version that contains a cover of Otis Reddings (Sittin On) The Dock of the Bay and the lite funk instrumental Captain Batemans Basement is a mere 45 -- and that swiftness helps individual moments land. It helps that Sting makes sideways nods at his past, whether its the percolating rhythms of Rushing Water, inviting Branford Marsalis for a solo spot on Harmony, or how the gentle fingerpicking of For Her Love evokes Fragile. Instead of highlighting the distance between now and then, these allusions clarify Stings persistent interests and act as an illustration of his central conceptual conceit: at these moments, it feels as if The Bridge itself is a bridge between the singer/songwriters past and present. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

5年ぶりのオリジナル新作は、パンデミックの状況下で書かれた楽曲をまとめたもの。今回のテーマは表題そのままにさまざまな距離や分断に橋を架けることだそうで、オープニングの"Rushing Water"から気合いの伝わる堂々の完成度。盟友ドミニク・ミラー(ギター)ら近年のライヴ・メンバーが演奏したほか、久々にブランフォード・マルサリスの参加もあり。過去の名曲をセルフ・オマージュしたような局面でも楽しませてくれる。
bounce (C)狛犬