Sting: 57th & 9th review – Wembley-sized plodding on his first rock album in years

From songs with a whiff of the 1980s to being an aged rock star to one about the refugee crisis, the singer makes a limp return to rock
(Polydor)

Named after the location of the Manhattan studio in which it was recorded, 57th & 9th is Sting's first rock album in years. I Can't Stop Thinking About You has the punchy chorus and driving bass of the Police circa 1980, while If You Can't Love Me has an echo of the creepy narrator of Every Breath You Take. There's a strong whiff of the 1980s, too, on the Wembley-sized plod of 50,000, a song about the absurdities of being an aged rock star: “Where did I put my spectacles case?” The start of Sting's career is the subject of Heading South on the Great North Road, on which he is accompanied by a single acoustic guitar, a moment of respite from the album's bluster. More cumbersome is Pretty Young Soldier, a tale of a military romance. On his song Inshallah, Sting sings about the refugee crisis and the Syrian civil war. Many readers might find that last sentence chilling – but the song is more mournful than preachy.

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Readers recommend playlist: your songs about volunteering

Our reader explores the nominations you put forward and picks a playlist including Fats Domino, Alison Krauss, Motörhead … and Paper Lace

Here is this week's playlist – tunes picked by a reader from your suggestions after last week's callout. Thanks for them all. Read more about how our weekly readers recommend series works at the end of the piece.

A volunteer can be defined as one who “freely offers to do something” and the offerings from the RR community this week produced a fine variety of takes on the “something” in question.

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Where's Beyoncé on the CMA Awards' social media?

She and the Dixie Chicks are MIA, despite their major performance.

      

 

 

Watch a Teaser for Björk's New VR Video for Vulnicura's “Notget”

Björk has become known for offering up expanded packaging and multimedia enhancements of her albums whenever possible. With her latest state-of-the-art video from last year's Vulnicura, the Icelandic singer/songwriter is continuing that rich tradition. Vulnicura has been supported by a live album, a strings-only version of the album, and several other visuals, and now its track "Notget"