For his first solo album since the latest Police reunion, Sting has stripped
things down for a quaint little sojourn through a winter wonderland. Calling
If On A Winter’s Night… a holiday album may be a vast
oversimplification, despite its timing and traditional, almost effervescent
glow. Some of the themes probe deep into wells of mysticism, religion, spirits,
poetry and politics. But the delicate arrangements and Sting’s inimitable
voice give the 15 songs a warm and ambient feel — just the proper of measure
of style and grace for the season.
The gentle acoustic strains of “Gabriel’s Message” set the mood
— a jazzy ebb and flow providing just the proper entry point for the mindfully
rhythmic “Soul Cake.” Then the drums and angels converge in the
emotional outpouring of “There Is No Rose of Such Virtue.” Sting
can go anywhere and do anything at this point. He can dance sideways, sing a
capella or over a string quartet. They all revolve around basic and subtle arrangements,
be it the simple and eloquent “The Snow It Melts the Soonest,” the
haunting “Cold Song,” the whispering elegance of “Now Winter
Comes Slowly” or the austere cadences of “Balulalow.”
Beyond the simple, maudlin melodies, Sting pushes forward with a few strange
and exotic designs — mining the poetry of Robert Louis Stevenson for “Christmas
At Sea” and adding words of his own to a slice of Bach on the CD’s
final track, “You Only Cross My Mind In Winter.” With traces of
classical, Celtic, Gaelic, African, bossa nova and even opera incorporated at
various junctures, Sting is clearly on track to becoming a Renaissance man of
the holiday season. If On A Winter’s Night… might even
garner year-round replays at times when the lights grow dim and introspection
sets in. We’ve all been there.
~ Shawn Perry
