Songs From The Labyrinth [Digipak] - Sting > Reviews > Party like it's 1599!

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Definitely a cut above the rest
Lyrics	Sublime
Quality and consistency of tracks	Flawless
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Outstanding
Value for Money	Excellent

Advantages:	A new take on John Dowland by our modern minstrel
Disadvantages:	None, I can think of

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

I am not an unconditional lover of Sting, but I do love John Dowland unconditionally, so I was intrigued to listen to this new album by The Geordie One. I was trained classically in voice, cello and piano and sang in a major amateur choir here in the UK for two years so I'm not unacquainted with classical music or sixteenth century noise. I have to say I have always thought Sting could pull off the whole troubadour thing after hearing 'Fields of Gold' years ago, and now I realise he wasn't just posturing and perhaps the odd literary reference was real rather than imagined.

The ex-English teacher has proven to me good and proper that he truly understands this music, and it is lovely to hear his unpretentious and breathy voice mouthing the beautifully worded lyrics with the diction so evident in all his other recordings. I always used to listen attentively to his singing as this aspect of it has always been immaculate. And the ability to pitch and sustain a note at length without much vibrato - for this he rivals Andreas Scholl or Emma Kirkby.

Perhaps in places he runs out of breath because of the expression he seems to want to pack into every phrase, but it is clear his involvement with the music is a passionate one. The recording is littered with readings of Dowland's letters read by Sting himself, which allows a context for the songs for the unitiated (those bits actually reminded me at first of those eye-witness accounts you used to get on tape with those kids' 'Discovery' history magazine in the eighties). Sting was apparently given a lute for Christmas, which led him on the path to enlisting the services of the amazing lute player, Edin Korozamov.

If you are buying this as a present and are looking for my overall conclusions, I would say this is an excellent recording. Excellent to play on your own after work, or on a lazy Sunday afternoon or in the background at Christmas when everyone has fallen out with the Christmas pudding and want to start on the liqueurs and chocolate. Also lovely for romantic candle-lit dinners, mulled wine parties and any pre-Christmas Saturnalian celebrations
(I understand those go on around the 17th Dec). Bit like old Dowland himself, really.