Sting - The Bridge (Japan Edition) (2021)

Sting recorded 'The Bridge' during the pandemic with a coterie of trusted musicians beaming into his studio remotely. That easy sense of musical camaraderie, connection and kinship is on full display in the lead single 'If It's Love', an unabashed pop song which is lent wings by a whistled refrain, joyful handclaps, and uplifting brass and strings. The urgently staccato, electric guitar-driven 'Rushing Water' soars with Sting's trademark melodic invention and vivid imagery. The decidedly romantic 'For Her Love' is a delicate pledge that harkens back to some of Sting's classic ballads. That said, Sting can breakdown the genesis of 'Harmony Road', a jazzy jam that artfully combines fever-dream, social realism and autobiography. The circle of trust of a group of likeminded musicians pulling in a myriad of brilliant directions but with one accord, is a solid foundation of 'The Bridge'.