Mercury Falling - Sting (CD 1996)

Mercury Falling is a short, sweet piece of work, Sting's silver plate on the dinner table of the endless mid-90's array of pop, rock, punk and ska hybrids. It was almost as much of a relief then as it is now to see that a guy like Sting remained oblivious to all that crap and continued to go on doing what he does best. This is not anywhere near my favorite CD of Sting's, but that has more to do with the fact that it's only ten songs than with the music itself. Take the depressingly slow and somber tone of the homestretch, throw in a "half song" and royally screw up the mood at the end, and...

What continually amazes me about Gordon Sumners (AKA STING) is that his style and work is continually changing and evolving, sometimes quietly maturing, other times it's a brilliant flash like lightning. This time around Mercury Falling is a reflection of a mellower Sting, more mature and having seen some of life's lessons come round and round again. Most of the fans hated this one, but I rather liked it, and several cuts remain my favorites. The background vocals and instrumentation is impeccable as always, and well mastered. No complaints there. The Hounds of Winter The lyrics remind me of..

Song List (the links will take you to my reviews of the CD Single for each song) The Hounds Of Winter I Hung My Head Let Your Soul Be Your Pilot I Was Brought To My Senses You Still Touch Me I'm So Happy I Can't Stop Crying All Four Seasons La Belle Dame Sans Regrets Valparaiso Lithium Sunset Mercury Falling (all quotes throughout can be found at sting.com) "There are so many references attached to mercury. I mean, it's a metal, it's a liquid, it's an element, it's a god, it's a planet. It's an idea - 'mercurial,' I think, is a valuable description. I use the phrase initially very literally...

For my $16, Sting is, always has been, and always will be, one of the BEST premiere male lyricists/vocalists on the planet. And "Mercury Falling" is no exception to the long, long list of credits to his 5 letter name. I love the Police. I love Sting: the early solo years, the actor, the maturing man/consummate artist. For me, he has always been the animus counterpart to Joni Mitchell's anima. If that is too Jungian for you: He be the Man, She be the Woman - period! And lest I confuse my categories here and go off on a rant, that is one of the things I love most about Sting: his obviously well.