Music Review: The Last Ship — Sting

Rating: 3
Folk: This album is the soundtrack to a musical that Sting penned. The musical deals with Sting’s childhood experiences amidst the shipbuilding industry in towns like Wallsend, Tyne and Wear in the United Kingdom. Sting — while world-renowned as a bass player and lead singer in The Police who went on to forge an extremely successful solo career — has also dabbled in some decidedly unusual music.
For example, a few years ago he put out an album of music played on an ancient medieval instrument called the lute, which is a notoriously difficult instrument to play. The music here is essentially a 12-track cycle. While the music is on the whole, dramatic and quaint, being designed for the stage, this isn’t something you’d hear on a Top 40 list. Which is fair enough though, for Sting never designed these songs to be commercial.
That being said, the two most accessible songs are 'And yet' and 'Practical arrangement'. The title track is a quaint and very ‘merrie olds England’ type lilting song, which sets the tone and tenor for what is to follow. The songs by and large evoke a sense of nostalgia and sentimentality, for Sting, at least. From a pop standpoint, the music can best be compared to early Jethro Tull, but without the percussion, drums and driving rhythms. Melody and melodic changes reign supreme here. This curiosity of an album, essentially a novelty piece, is meant to be listened to as a whole and a treat for the musician’s fans, of course.
Listen to Sting songs on Gaana.com
WATCH: Sting - Seven Days (Full Band Cover)