Sting The Soul Cages released

The Soul Cages Sting

Released: January 22, 1991 Peak: 2 US, 11 UK, 12 CN, 3 AU Sales (in millions): 1.0 US, 0.1 UK, 6.0 world (includes US and UK) Genre: rock

Tracks: Song Title [time] (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to singles charts. Island of Souls [6:41] All This Time [4:54] (12/31/90, 5 US, 5 CB, 9 RR, 9 AC, 1 AR, 1 MR, 22 UK, 1 Cn, 26 AU) Mad about You [3:53] (2/28/91, 56 UK) Jeremiah Blues, Pt. 2 [4:54] Why Should I Cry for You? [4:46] (5/4/91, 24 CB, 32 AR) Saint Agnes and the Burning Train [2:43] The Wild Wild Sea [6:41] The Soul Cages [5:51] (2/9/91, 7 AR, 9 MR, 57 UK) When the Angels Fall [7:48] All songs written by Sting. Total Running Time: 48:11

Rating: 3.896 out of 5.00 (average of 19 ratings) Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Album: “Emboldened by the enthusiastic response to the muted Nothing Like the Sun and reeling from the loss of his parents, Sting constructed The Soul Cages as a hushed mediation on mortality, loss, grief, and father/son relationships (the album is dedicated, in part, to his father; its predecessor was dedicated to his mother).” AMG Using the same basic band as Nothing Like the Sun, the album has the same supple, luxurious tone, stretching out leisurely over nine tracks, almost all of them layered mid-tempo tunes (the exception being grinding guitars of the title track). Within this setting, Sting hits a few remarkable peaks, such as the elegant waltz Mad About You and All This Time, a deceptively skipping pop tune that hides a moving tribute to his father.” AMG “If the entirety of The Soul Cages was as nimbly melodic and urgently emotional as these two cuts, it would have been a quiet masterpiece. Instead, it turns inward – not just lyrically, but musically – and plays as a diary entry, perhaps interesting to those willing to spend hours immersing themselves within Sting’s loss, finding parallels within their own life. This may be too much effort for anyone outside of the devoted, since apart from those two singles (and perhaps Why Should I Cry for You), there are few entry points into The Soul Cages – and, once you get in there, it only rewards if your emotional state mirrors Sting’s.” AMG

Resources and Related Links: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Sting AMG All Music Guide review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine WK Wikipedia Other Related DMDB Pages: First posted 3/24/2008; last updated 8/26/2021.