The Soul Cages - Sting (CD 1991)

If there is one performer that has played it smart over the years it has been Sting. After the Police broke up Sting managed to launch a solid solo career, And why not? He is a very talented vocalist, writes incredibly complex lyrics, and is an exceptional bass player. Sting has also always surrounded himself with top-notch musicians, therefore guaranteeing his music is of great quality. And so it continues to amaze me when people dismiss his post-Police music as being soft and boring. I have one friend who refuses to listen to anything that Sting has done since the beginning of his solo career. This puzzles and irritates me, and hopefully with this review of "The Soul Cages" I will have reached one of these people and perhaps convinced them to at least give Sting a try.

"The Soul Cages" is one of those albums that just seems timeless. It also re-affirms that nineties Sting is very listenable. The album is filled with deep and introspective lyrics, some perhaps auto-biographical. They are filled with dark images (as with all of Sting's lyrics). There is something about this album though that just continues to haunt me. It is not a very uplifting album, and can actually be quite depressing at times. There is much sea imagery, and the role of the relationship between fathers and sons is explored extensively.

"Island Of Souls" is the opening track. The song is really depressing, but fortunately quite intricate at the same time. The meshing of the soulful woodwinds and the strings are very powerful, and the sad lyrics about the death of a boy's father are done wonderfully. One lyric reads like this: "And six days he would watch his poor father, a working man live like a slave. He'd drink every night and he'd dream of a future, of money he never would save. And Billy would cry when he thought of the future." The song brings us a feeling of hopelessness and unfairness. Even so, this is a wonderful way to open up such a deep album, and I was immediately hooked and ready to hear more.

The next cut is "All This Time". Anyone who has listened to a radio in the last ten years has most likely heard this song quite a few times. Even though it was really the only commercially accessible song on the album, that should not diminish its importance. My advice to you is to read the liner notes and the lyrics to this song before you listen to it. It reads like a poem. A good poem.

"Mad About You" is perhaps my favorite song of Sting's solo career. The music mixes dramatic strings with an island drum feel. The playful bass part contrasts the stark and serious lyrics, and the words are absolutely wonderful. If there is one song on this entire album that I would recommend to someone this is it.

"Jeremiah Part One" manages to sound unlike the rest of the album. It has much more of a lively beat than the rest of the music. It has an interesting jazz interlude in parts, and a distorted guitar in others. It would fit more into the "world music" category more than most of the other songs on this CD.

Another great Sting song comes next. "Why Should I Cry For You" is also one of my favorite songs written by him. The lyrics and music really mesh together and every time I listen to this song, I get the feeling that I'm flying over the sea. It has a wonderful message, and was used to great effect in the IMAX film "The Living Sea".

"Saint Agnes And The Burning Train" is a wonderful little instrumental. The Spanish guitar sound is beautiful and expertly played. This track is a great "filler" and fits in nicely with the rest of the album.

"The Wild Wild Sea" has a real keyboard sound, which usually isn't my cup of tea. Fortunately Sting provides us with some intelligent lyrics, and his usual soulful voice.

The title track "The Soul Cages" is a really good one. This one continues with the father and son theme from before as illustrated in the lyrics: "He dreamed of a ship on the sea, it would carry his father and he to a place they could never be found. To a place far away from this town, and Newcastle ship without coals, they would sail to the island of souls."

The album ends on a somber note with "When The Angels Fall". This song is absolutely beautiful. This terribly serious song is a great way to end the album, and compliments the way the album began. The lyrics are lush with imagery, and the music is beautiful.

I would basically recommend this album to just about everyone I know. I think if you are unsure of Sting and his solo career, that this would be a great place for you to see that he still has a lot talent. The lyrical ability that he displays on "The Soul Cages" is as good as any of his monumental work that he did with The Police years ago in my opinion. I don't think this album could disappoint anyone. One thing you should not expect is a raucous rock and roll album. I think I have been quite clear in my descriptions of each track above, that this is a quietly poetic and somber album. If you don't own this album I recommend that you give it a try, Sting has had it in him all along. And in my opinion he continues to be a vital and important part of modern music.

OVERALL GRADE: A