57th & 9th

Sting has a new leather jacket. His partial return to rock is both a throwback to The Police—“I Can’t Stop Thinking About You” in particular—and the result of his desire to have fun with rowdy guitars. This album is still mature and subtle, with Sting maintaining his whispery composure across the bouncy “One Fine Day” and uplifting chug of “50,000”. With the folk lament “The Empty Chair” and ambient prayer “Inshallah”, he proves that, thankfully, a new coat does not a new Sting make.