Sting Details New Solo Album

Veteran musician Sting has detailed an upcoming new solo album 57th & 9th that will find the bassist and vocalist returning to his more rock-oriented roots. The record was inspired in part by the recent deaths of fellow iconic musicians such as Prince, David Bowie and Lemmy.

Speaking with Rolling Stone while on his current tour sharing the stage and bands with Peter Gabriel, the bassist for The Police explained the direction the sound of the album was taking. Sting described the material as:

[N]ot a lute album. It’s rockier than anything I’ve done in a while. This record is a sort of omnibus of everything that I do, but the flagship seems to be this energetic thing. I’m very happy to put up the mast and see how it goes.

Produced by Sting’s manager Martin Kierszenbaum, the bulk of the new material has been recorded by drummer Vinnie Colaiuta and guitarist Dominic Miller of Sting’s touring band as well as members of the Kierszenbaum-represented San Antonio-based Last Bandoleros, bassist Diego Navaira and guitarist Jerry Fuentes.

The 64-year-old Sting says the new album focuses on issues related to emigrating and mortality, with the song “50,000” having been written in the days following Prince’s unexpected death.

“It’s really a comment on how shocked we all are when one of our cultural icons dies: Prince, David [Bowie], Glenn Frey, Lemmy.” said Sting. “They are our gods, in a way. So when they die, we have to question our own immortality. Even I, as a rock star, have to question my own. And the sort of bittersweet realization that hubris doesn’t mean anything in the end.”

Head over to Rolling Stone for more from Sting on the album, the lasting affect The Police reunion tour had and other insights.