June 5, 2013

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This September, Sting will release his first collection of all-original songs since 2003. According to The New York Times, the album is called The Last Ship, and it was inspired by the material that Sting has been writing for a musical of the same name.

The Times reports that The Last Ship will feature several songs from the musical, which Sting hopes will open on Broadway next year. There also are songs the ex-Police man wrote for the show but decided not to use. As previously reported, the musical The Last Ship was inspired by Sting's childhood growing up near a shipyard in England. Set in the 1980s, it's about one family's struggle to survive the decline of the shipbuilding industry in Newcastle, England.

The Times describes one song on the disc, "And Yet," as a "jazzy funk number," while the title track is "a waltz-time folk tune, heavy with Christian imagery." Yet another, "Dead Man's Boots," is described as "a tense dialogue between a father who works in the shipyard and a son who wants to do something else with his life."

Sting's last collection of original pop songs was 2003's Sacred Love. Since then, he's put out greatest-hits packages, a holiday album, a symphonic disc of his previous songs and even a collection of songs written by a Renaissance lute player.

About time. I hope it's a good one. Musical? hmmmm

Ten Summoner's Tales is the last album he did worthy of the label "classic." However, I'm excited he's releasing a project of new material.

At least he is not doing dreck like Rod Stewart.

Sounds interesting to me. It connects with the themes he already developed in The Soul Cages, which is my favourite Sting album. Not that I expect him to release a classic again, but I do expect some great music from the man, he can do it yet.

I have not heard anything good from him since "Nothing Like The Sun" but I'm looking forward to his current "Back to Bass" tour.

Looking forward to this and I hope it's in the vein of The Soul Cages. 2nd fav Sting album.

3rdeyedude said:

I have not heard anything good from him since "Nothing Like The Sun" but I'm looking forward to his current "Back to Bass" tour.

Yep my favorite too.

Sting did several great songs from the mid-80s to mid-90s, but ever since Paul Simon's lacklustre Songs From the Capeman show/ album, I've been rather wary of a pop/ rock album with 'songs from the great new musical by (take your pick) famous rockstar'.

Hopefully, he sings all the songs himself on the album and the arrangements are 'conventional pop/ rock/ jazz', rather than 'lite Broadway pop/ rock/ jazz .