Soul Cages: 1991/92

Sting alternates between boil and simmer...

Sting, miner of pain and maker of elegant, unavoidably catchy modern rock, in recent years has seemed like something of a wayward pop genius.

His first two solo albums, while marked by a few polished song gems, have come off as transitional and grandiose, seriously flawed in comparison with such Police masterworks as 'Synchronicity' and 'Ghost in the Machine'.

The same holds true of 'The Soul Cages', an ambitious song cycle about Sting's escape from the confines of a bleak seaside town in England and the death of his father.

The album, thanks to infectious first single 'All This Time', is No. 3 on Billboard's pop albums chart in only its third week of release.

That song, logically enough, was first up when Sting and his new band guitarist Dominic Miller, keyboardist David Sancious and drummer Vinnie Colaiuta - played to a packed house of 8,452 at the University of South Florida Sun Dome on Tuesday night.

The show, though, seemed to slow to little more than a simmer through the album's other cuts.

Take 'Mad About You', or 'Why Should I Cry For You?' or 'The Wild Wild Sea'. The lyrics were thoughtful, of course, Sting's bass lines were propulsive and Sancious and Miller took turns at painting tasty sound colorations.

The 95-minute show, though, with the exception of a scorching workout on the title song and Jimi Hendrix's 'Purple Haze', only really came to life when Sting turned to more familiar songs: Police favourites 'Roxanne', as concise and powerful as ever, 'When the World is Running Down, You Make the Best of What's Still Around' and a cranked-up 'Message in a Bottle'; and solo hits 'If You Love Somebody Set Them Free' and 'Fortress Around Your Heart'.

The jazz-fusion textures and high-calibre performances were admirable. Der Stingle, though, seldom let loose.

If the rugged, riveting opening set by Los Angeles band Concrete Blonde was any indication, hard rock's most expressive female voice may belong to Johnette Napolitano.

Napolitano, jet-black straggly hair dangling in her face, led the alternative rock trio through a too-brief 40 minutes of music, dominated by material from last year's memorable 'Bloodletting'.

Thunder-and-lightning sound effects and a creep-crawling bass line punched the album's title song.

Napolitano, throughout, spit words like bullets and injected the maximum possible emotional output into her songs of life, love and loss.

(c) The Tampa Tribune by Philip Booth

Sting concert fails to inspire...

Sting is a tough act to follow; perhaps toughest for Sting himself.

The mercurial British star has enjoyed great nights in Tampa, but Tuesday at the University of South Florida Sun Dome he delivered a flat show.

After setting the world on its ear with the Police, then departing to carve out an innovative, jazz-inflected solo career, Sting has charted yet another course with 'The Soul Cages', a pop-rock confessional that is solid but underwhelming. The 100-minute set, played for a sold-out arena, was far from bad, just missing the magic.

Sting's quartet possessed neither the taut muscle of the Police nor the swinging splendour of his previous large touring ensembles. The new band, though quite talented, needs to jell. The group was notably slack in the jamming sections. 'The Soul Cages' tour, more than any previous period of Sting's career, is a star vehicle. He was front-and-center, four-square in the spotlight. And, despite his considerable charisma, this didn't suit him.

Before taking the stage with his band, Sting emerged to introduce a new discovery: a solo act, singer/ percussionist Vinx. A unique artist, indeed. His sound was African-rooted, hand percussion remarkable, his voice strong and soulful. Vinx then introduced his mentor.

Sting was outfitted in black: tight-fitting T-shirt, high-wasted pants, suspenders and boots. His bass guitar was black. Sting's hair was short but tousled. He opened with a rote version of his latest single 'All This Time', then followed with two more tunes from 'The Soul Cages', 'Mad About You' and 'Jeremiah Blues (Part 1)' neither one packing much zip. Sting then moved into some Police material, starting with a so-so 'Spirits in the Material World', picking it up with Roxanne and gaining momentum with 'King of Pain'.

Bent on showcasing his new album, Sting performed the lightly swinging 'The Wild Wild Sea' and the rocking 'Soul Cages', the latter faring best among the new material. Sting stepped up his crowd-pleasing efforts near show's end with solid turns at 'If You Love Somebody Set Them Free' and 'Every Breath You Take'.

The concert was opened by Concrete Blonde, one of those cult bands with an uncompromising sound that hampers it from reaching the masses. Judging by the intensity of its set and crowd reaction, the group made some converts Tuesday night.

(c) The St. Petersburg Times by Eric Snider

Live performance puts some Sting in moody songs...

The question going into Sting's current tour was how would the material from his latest album, 'The Soul Cages', go over in front of an audience? Would the moody and introspective music make the show sluggish? Could Sting be setting himself up for his first musical failure?

The answer came even before the first note was played. In the souvenir tour booklet Sting explained his performance philosophy.

"It has never been my intention to reproduce albums on the stage," he wrote. "The album is merely a blueprint, which can be followed, or ignored, stripped down or embellished. Keys, tempos, dynamics can all be changed. Whole sections can be compressed or extended."

That was the case Tuesday night at the University of South Florida Sun Dome. Sting pumped excitement and energy into the new material and threw in a healthy dose of Police hits as well as a couple of covers. The entire 12-hour show thrilled the crowd of more than 8,600.

For this tour, Sting placed himself in a rock setting. His band is guitarist Dominic Miller, keyboardist David Sancious and drummer Vinnie Colaiuta. While this group was missing the eloquent saxophone of Branford Marsalis, who performed with Sting in the past, it wasn't void of jazz phrasing and inspiration. Sting opened with his current single, 'All This Time'. He let his audience know he wasn't about to lull them with the new music. This upbeat song was just a tad more enthusiastic than expected, and Sting pushed nearly every song throughout the show.

While this emphasis on enthusiasm kept the crowd cheering, it obliterated the haunting dimensions of 'Mad About You'. This wasn't true only of the new material. 'Spirits in the Material World' came off as one-dimensional as well.

One of the evening's first surprises was the inclusion of Bill Withers' classic 'Ain't No Sunshine When She's Gone'. The band freely incorporated its jazz leanings as both Miller and Sancious exchanged free-form solos.

Although Sting has recorded three solo albums now, his Police material was the highlight of the night. Beginning with Roxanne, the band propelled the song with a strong rock beat. The combined echo effect used by the guitar, keyboards and voice sold the song's desperation. Sancious attacked the keys during his solo on 'When the World Is Running Down'.

Sting's previous solo material was barely touched. To his credit, he opted not to replace Marsalis' saxophone with computerised replicas on 'Fortress Around My Heart'.

From the new album, 'The Wild Wild Sea' was one of the few songs that mirrored the recorded arrangement. The ballad served as a fine introduction to 'The Soul Cages' and again allowed the musicians the opportunity to stretch.

Sting may come across in the press as a serious person with his involvement with Amnesty International and his work to save the South American rain forest, but on stage he was often rather playful. The inclusion of Jimi Hendrix's 'Purple Haze' was a delight.

Sting closed out the evening with 'If You Love Somebody Set Them Free' and 'Every Breath You Take'. For an encore, he chose the delicate Latin flavoured Fragile from his 'Nothing Like The Sun' album.
 
When making his new album, Sting's soul may have been caged by writer's block, as he has admitted in several recent interviews. But on stage, he's freed himself. While these arrangements may lack depth, the entertainment value makes Sting's tour the best thus far of the new year.

(c) The Florida Times Union by Dan Macdonald