Sting reworks hits for newest collection

Sting has a new album called Symphonicities. The blurb about the CD says that it is a reimagination of Sting’s most celebrated works for symphonic arrangements. Reimagination is a nice word that I often see being used to describe film remakes. This, though is the first time I saw it used to describe a music album.

But whatever it is, reimagination, remake, cover or whatever, the idea is really nothing new. It is just like recording covers or putting the songs of Queen in the repertoire of an orchestra. You can go and be either faithful to the original or take the music to the opposite extreme. Like turn rock into baroque.

It does not always work. Something so in your face edgy, think Metallica music, might become bland and boring in a different setting. But new versions are what keep a song alive. The thought alone of how many beautiful songs would have been lost if nobody had chosen to record covers is more than enough to keep me rooting for reimagination. 

As with anything that bucks the familiar, Symphonicities has unsettling moments. The opening track Next To You, is one. Those strings really prick the ears and get you wondering what Sting is up to. The mood though settles down by the next one, Englishman in New York, which really adapted itself to the orchestral sound. After that it is great going throughout, with the songs maintaining the rock charm and the arrangements making everything new and exciting.  

That was what it must have felt like for the musicians in the Royal Philharmonic or the New York Chamber Consort and the other ensembles featured in the CD.Used as those players were in classical music, it must have been quite a thrill for them to expand, We Work The Black Seam, enhance, The End Of The Game, strengthen, She’s Too Good For Me and in some cases, beautifully at that, pare down, You Will Be My Ain True Love, these contemporary classics. 

Of course tremendously helping his fans accept these reimaginations is the sound of Sting himself, singing the songs. The voice has not lost its magic and I am sure that audiences in the places where he has brought Symphonicities are amazed about how this guy can turn mesmerizing the moment he opens his mouth. That was how Symphonicities was designed. Sting will take the album on tour and will perform the songs accompanied by a local orchestra.

It would have been great to have been able to watch a Symphonicities show with Sting singing with a Filipino orchestra. But since there seems to be no word around that we would be able to get Sting here soon, you can just enjoy this CD. Also included are Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic, I Hung My Head, Roxanne, When We Dance, I Burn For You, and The Pirate’s Bride.

Sting’s is one rock idol, whose artistry level has never been ordinary. He has always instinctively and I must add, fearlessly reached out for the new and different in all that he does. So when he got the chance to reimagine his most famous works for a symphony orchestra he came up with something that rocks harder than the originals.

Now, I do not really mean rock, although the album does at times. What I mean is that as far as creativity is concerned, this Symphonicities is truly one of his best. Enjoy.

Billboard’s top hits

Meanwhile, here are the hits of the moment in the U.S. of A .as per this week’s Billboard tabulations. The Top 10 singles in the Hot 100 are Love The Way You Lie by Eminem featuring Rihanna; California Gurls by Katy Perry feat. Snoop Dogg; Dynamite by Taio Cruz; Airplanes by B.o.B feat. Hayley Williams; I Like It by Enrique Iglesias feat. Pitbull; Cooler Than Me by Mike Posner; Teenage Dream by Katy Perry; Billionaire by Travis McCoy feat, Bruno Mars; DJ Got Us Fallin’ In Love by Usher feat. Pitbull; and OMG by Usher feat. will.i.am.

The Top 10 titles in the Top 200 Albums List are Nightmare by Avenged Sevenfold; Recovery by Eminem; Teflon Don by Rick Ross; My World 2.0 by Justin Bieber; Thank Me Later by Drake; Kidz Bop 18 by Kidz Bop Kids; Need You Now by Lady Antebellum; 100 Miles From Memphis by Sheryl Crow; The Fame by Lady Gaga; and Now 34 by Various Artists.