Sting released Sacred Love

Sacred Love Sting

Released: September 29, 2003 Peak: 3 US, 3 UK, 3 CN, 13 AU Sales (in millions): 1.0 US, 0.1 UK, 3.5 world (includes US and UK) Genre: rock > adult alternative

Tracks: Song Title [time] (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to singles charts. Inside [4:46] Send Your Love [4:38] (with Vicente Amigo) (9/1/03, 29 A40, 3 AA, 30 UK, 44 AU) Whenever I Say Your Name [5:25] (with Mary J. Blige) (12/20/03, 77 RB, 60 UK) Dead Man’s Rope [5:44] Never Coming Home [4:58] Stolen Car (Take Me Dancing) [3:55] (4/26/04, 14 AA, 60 UK) Forget about the Future [5:12] This War [5:29] The Book of My Life [6:14] (with Anoushka Shankar) Sacred Love [5:43] (2/7/04, 2 AA) All songs written by Sting. Total Running Time: 52:37

Rating: 3.453 out of 5.00 (average of 22 ratings) Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Album: “Sting scored a moderate comeback success greater than most had imagined possible with 1999’s Brand New Day, re-establishing himself as a viable commercial artist instead of merely settling for living legend status. Part of this success was due to ‘Desert Rose,’ featuring vocalist Farhat Bougallagui's careening cadences that garnered attention, particularly when they were showcased in a car commercial that kicked the album into high commercial gear.” AMG “Sting picks up on this, adding three guest vocalists to the ten-track Sacred Love album (the 11th track is a remix of the lead single, Send Your Love – which happens to be better, since it eliminates the rather annoying Indian-styled hook) – Vincente Amigo and Anoushaka Shankar are paired with Mary J. Blige, who in this context is presented as a world music artist.” AMG “None of the guests makes much of an impression here, but neither does Sting, since this is an album that puts sound over song or performance. Sacred Love is to Brand New Day what Mercury Falling was to Ten Summoner’s Tales – a fussy, overworked stab at maturity, one that has impeccable craft but is obscured by its own meticulousness. It is professional to a fault, using its maturity and preciseness to obscure the fact that the songs don't really work.” AMG “Sting isn’t always hemmed-in, even ending Inside with a hysterical rant that makes him seem like a madman, but it has the effect of making the rest of the album seeming too deliberate and far from adventurous. It’s far from a bad listen, nor is it embarrassing, but it’s entirely too predictable, coming across as nothing more than well-tailored, expensive mood music, which is certainly far less than what Sacred Love could have been.” AMG Notes: Multiple editions of the albums were issue with bonus tracks, such as a remix of “Send Your Love,” a live version of “Shape of My Heart,” a remix of “Moon Over Bourbon Street,” and the song “Like a Beautiful Smile. “

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 3/29/2008; last updated 11/17/2021.