The Bridge (Sting album)

The Bridge is the fifteenth studio album by British singer-songwriter Sting, released on 19 November 2021 through A&M Records. It is his first rock-oriented album since 2016's 57th & 9th. The album marks the return of Branford Marsalis on saxophone and clarinet, as well as Manu Katché on drums.

The Bridge
Studio album by
Sting
Released19 November 2021
StudioLake House (Wiltshire)
Il Palagio (Italy)
Hôtel Germain (Senlis)
Cherrytree Recording Studio
Sear Sound (New York City)
Sanctuary Studios (Bahamas)
GenrePop-rock[1]
Length36:25
LabelA&M
Producer
Sting chronology
Duets
(2021)		 The Bridge
(2021)
Singles from The Bridge
  1. "If It's Love"
    Released: 1 September 2021
  2. "Rushing Water"
    Released: 30 September 2021

Background

Sting wrote the album "in a year of global pandemic, personal loss, separation, disruption, lockdown and extraordinary social and political turmoil".[1][2]

Singles

"If It's Love", the first single from the album, was released on 1 September 2021.

Reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
The Scotsman[4]
The Sydney Morning Herald[5]

Lakshmi Govindrajan Javeri of Firstpost wrote "Sting's new release The Bridge has a strong pop-rock vibe that defined his Police and early solo years, but some of its best songs have Celtic and jazz influences."[6] Mark Kennedy of the Associated Press wrote "The Bridge is a moody and varied collection in an unmoored time, with nods to Scripture, ancient allegories, and malevolent characters. It's a strong album from a singer-songwriter who sees warning signs ahead."[7] Fiona Shepherd of The Scotsman wrote "Sting is also in sprightly mood on The Bridge, whistling along on the blithe single If It's Love, as decent a pop tune as he has produced in some time. This lockdown production nods to his diverse musical tastes, from mellow roots track The Book of Numbers with its plangent bass twang to the slick soaring saxophone (from Branford Marsalis no less) on Harmony Road to the fiddle flourish of Captain Bateman, which is revisited as a jazzy scat bonus track called Captain Bateman’s Basement."[4] John Shand at The Sydney Morning Herald says that the album has Sting "bundling up his established interests in pop, R&B, folk and a dash of jazz – which could also be described as treading musical water", and describes Sting as "an artist who still sounds in his prime."[5] Michael Gallucci of Ultimate Classic Rock describes the album as "Sting's least fussy and most satisfying album in years."[8]

Track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Rushing Water"Sting, Martin Kierszenbaum, Gavin Brown3:17
2."If It's Love"Sting3:12
3."The Book of Numbers"Sting, Dominic Miller3:18
4."Loving You"Sting, Maya Jane Coles4:24
5."Harmony Road"Sting, Dominic Miller3:18
6."For Her Love"Sting, Martin Kierszenbaum3:45
7."The Hills on the Border"Sting4:16
8."Captain Bateman"Sting4:14
9."The Bells of St. Thomas"Sting, Dominic Miller4:08
10."The Bridge"Sting2:33
Total length:36:25
Deluxe edition bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
11."Waters of Tyne"Trad.2:10
12."Captain Bateman's Basement"Sting3:41
13."(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay"
2:54
Total length:45:10
Japan bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
14."I Guess the Lord Must Be in New York City"Harry Nilsson2:18
Total length:47:28

Personnel

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
France (SNEP)[34] Gold 50,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. "Sting has 'no truck' with his rock peers who oppose vaccines: 'I'm old enough to remember polio'". Los Angeles Times. 25 August 2021. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
  2. "Sting Readying Album of New Songs, Called 'The Bridge,' for November Release with Single, 'If It's Love'". showbiz411.com. 25 August 2021. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
  3. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. The Bridge at AllMusic. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
  4. Shepherd, Fiona (12 November 2021). "Album reviews: Rod Stewart | Sting | Peter Capaldi | Hen Hoose". The Scotsman.
  5. Shand, John (18 November 2021). "Springsteen and Sting prove they're still youthful in their 70s". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  6. Javeri, Lakshmi Govindrajan (23 November 2021). "In The Bridge, Sting alludes to troubled waters through brilliant acoustic experiment". Firstpost.
  7. Kennedy, Mark (18 November 2021). "Sting returns with 'The Bridge' over troubled water | Music Review". Fox LA. Associated Press.
  8. Gallucci, Michael (19 November 2021). "Sting, 'The Bridge': Album Review". Ultimate Classic Rock.
  9. "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 29 November 2021". The ARIA Report. No. 1656. Australian Recording Industry Association. 29 November 2021. p. 6.
  10. "Austriancharts.at – Sting – The Bridge" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  11. "Ultratop.be – Sting – The Bridge" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
  12. "Ultratop.be – Sting – The Bridge" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
  13. "Sting Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  14. "Czech Albums – Top 100". ČNS IFPI. Note: On the chart page, select 47.Týden 2021 on the field besides the words "CZ – ALBUMS – TOP 100" to retrieve the correct chart. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  15. "Dutchcharts.nl – Sting – The Bridge" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
  16. "Lescharts.com – Sting – The Bridge". Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
  17. "Offiziellecharts.de – Sting – The Bridge" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
  18. "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2021. 48. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
  19. "Italiancharts.com – Sting – The Bridge". Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
  20. "Oricon Top 50 Albums: 2021-11-29/p/3" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 24 November 2021.
  21. "Billboard Japan Hot Albums [2021/11/24 公開]". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). 24 November 2021. Retrieved 24 November 2021.
  22. "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
  23. "Portuguesecharts.com – Sting – The Bridge". Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
  24. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
  25. "Spanishcharts.com – Sting – The Bridge". Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  26. "Swisscharts.com – Sting – The Bridge". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
  27. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
  28. "Sting Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  29. "Sting Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  30. "Rapports Annuels 2021". Ultratop. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  31. "Top de l'année Top Albums 2021" (in French). SNEP. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
  32. "Jahrescharts 2021 Album". GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
  33. "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2021". hitparade.ch (in German). Retrieved 26 December 2021.
  34. "French album certifications – Sting – The Bridge" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
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