Jump to content

57th & 9th

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Tim96144 (talk | contribs) at 08:05, 31 July 2020 (Charts). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

57th & 9th
Studio album by
Released11 November 2016 (2016-11-11)
RecordedSummer 2016[1]
GenrePop rock
Length37:05
LabelCherrytree, Interscope, A&M
ProducerMartin Kierszenbaum
Sting chronology
The Last Ship
(2013)
57th & 9th
(2016)
Live at the Olympia Paris
(2017)
Singles from 57th & 9th
  1. "I Can't Stop Thinking About You"
    Released: 1 September 2016
  2. "50,000"
    Released: 22 September 2016

57th & 9th is the twelfth solo studio album by British singer-songwriter Sting, his first rock album in 13 years,[2] released on 11 November 2016.[3][4] The album sold over 600,000 copies worldwide in 2016.[5]

Background and release

The album was recorded over a period of three months. Sting has said of the tight deadline: "Artificially reintroducing that pressure gave the album a kind of urgency it wouldn't have had otherwise."[6]

The album title is a reference to the New York intersection Sting crossed every day to get to Avatar Studios in Hell's Kitchen where much of the album was recorded.[3][4]

From late 2015 and throughout the first half of 2016, images of Sting working in the studio were periodically published across his various social media outlets. The resultant album was eventually announced on 18 July 2016. In a teaser video published subsequently, Sting described the album as having a spontaneous feel, featuring "a lot of rock 'n' roll" with themes of searching, travelling, the road and the pull of the unknown.

Music and lyrics

Sting wrote "50,000" the week of Prince's death, and in memory of several famous musicians who died in late 2015 and 2016: Prince, David Bowie, Glenn Frey, and Lemmy.[7]

"One Fine Day" is a plea for sanity regarding anthropogenic climate change.[8]

According to Rolling Stone magazine on 11 November 2016, Sting "offers a kind of travelogue through his own musical past, from the Chaucer-y balladry of 'Heading South on the Great North Road' to 'If You Can’t Love Me,' a mordantly Kafkaesque echo of the jazz rock Sting made in the Eighties."[8]

"Inshallah" is a Middle East-tinged refugee's prayer.[8][9] The Arabic word "Inshallah" means "If God wills", or in Sting's words: "If it's God's will then it shall be".[9]

"The Empty Chair" is a song inspired by American journalist James Foley who was kidnapped and killed by Daesh (a.k.a. Islamic State of Iraq or ISIS).[10]

Promotion

Sting debuted the studio version of "I Can't Stop Thinking About You" – and performed the song live – on 31 August 2016 in the Red Bull Sound Space at L.A. radio station KROQ.[7][11] In an article published on 25 July 2016, Roger Friedman wrote that the lead single, "I Can't Stop Thinking About You", would be released on 2 September 2016.[2]

On 22 September 2016, Sting released for free on YouTube the audio version of "50,000".[12]

Sting performed the song "One Fine Day" live for the first time 6 October 2016 on Deutscher Radiopreis.[13]

On 27 October 2016, Sting released for free on YouTube an acoustic version of "I Can't Stop Thinking About You".[14]

On 3 November 2016, Sting released for free on YouTube the audio version of "Petrol Head".[15]

Sting performed two shows on 9 November 2016 at Irving Plaza, a small (only one thousand-people capacity) music venue in Manhattan, New York City, playing songs from 57th & 9th for the first time live in concert: a "57th & 9th iHeartRadio Album Release Party" show (scheduled at 8PM, indeed occurring at 7PM) and a Sting.com Fan Club Member Exclusive Show (scheduled at 11PM, indeed occurring at 10PM).[16][17]

Backed by a 3-piece band including Dominic Miller (guitar), Vinnie Colaiuta (drums) and Rufus Miller (guitar), Sting performed on 12 November 2016 a (one hour and a half) concert in Paris for the re-opening of the Bataclan, performing even songs from 57th & 9th.[nb 1] The Police's former guitar player, French native Henry Padovani, joined the band on stage for "Next to You", one of the final encore.[nb 2][18][19][20]

Supporting tour

Sting embarked on the 57th & 9th Tour. The tour began on 1 February 2017, at the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver.[21]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?5.9/10[22]
Metacritic67/100[23]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[24]
The Guardian[25]
The Independent[26]
Rolling Stone[27]

57th & 9th received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 67, which indicates "generally favorable reviews", based on 8 reviews.[23]

Track listing

Ten new tracks were announced[2][3][4] and officially revealed on 31 August 2016.[28]

All tracks are written by Sting, except where noted

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."I Can't Stop Thinking About You" 3:38
2."50,000"Sting, Dominic Miller, Lyle Workman, Josh Freese4:17
3."Down, Down, Down"Sting, Miller, Vinnie Colaiuta3:48
4."One Fine Day"Sting, Miller, Workman, Freese3:14
5."Pretty Young Soldier"Sting, Miller, Workman, Freese3:06
6."Petrol Head"Sting, Miller, Workman, Freese3:32
7."Heading South on the Great North Road" 3:18
8."If You Can't Love Me"Sting, Miller, Colaiuta4:34
9."Inshallah" 4:56
10."The Empty Chair"Sting, J. Ralph2:49
Deluxe and Super Deluxe Edition bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
11."I Can't Stop Thinking About You" (LA version)3:38
12."Inshallah" (Berlin sessions version)4:58
13."Next to You" (with The Last Bandoleros (live at Rockwood Music Hall))2:54
Japan Tour Edition bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
14."Fragile" (Live at the Bataclan)4:11
15."Message in a Bottle" (Live at the Bataclan)5:48
16."I Can't Stop Thinking About You" (Live at the Bataclan)3:47
17."One Fine Day" (Live at the Bataclan)3:13
18."Englishman in New York (Reggae Version)" (Live at the Bataclan)5:15
19."Every Breath You Take" (Live at the Bataclan)5:30

Personnel

Source:[3][4]

  • Sting – vocals, bass guitar, guitar, piano, percussion
  • Dominic Miller – twelve-string guitar, shaker
  • Vinnie Colaiuta, Zach Jones, Josh Freese – drums
  • Rhani Krija – percussion
  • Martin Kierszenbaum – Hammond organ, piano, mellotron, keyboards
  • Rob Mathes – piano
  • Lyle Workman, Jean-Baptiste Moussarie – guitar
  • Jerry Fuentes (of The Last Bandoleros) – backing vocals, vocals, guitar
  • Diego Navaira (of The Last Bandoleros) – backing vocals, vocals, bass guitar
  • Derek James (of The Last Bandoleros) – backing vocals
  • Razan Nassreddine – sitar, additional vocals
  • Marion Enachescu – violin
  • Salam Al Hassan, Accad Al Saed – percussion
  • Thabet Azzawi, Nadim Sarrouh – oud
  • Nabil Al Chami – clarinet

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
France (SNEP) 25,000[59]
Poland (ZPAV)[60] 2× Platinum 40,000
Romania (UFPR)[61] Gold

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ "I Can't Stop Thinking About You", "One Fine Day", "50,000", "Inshallah", "Petrol Head", "Down, Down, Down", "The Empty Chair".[18]
  2. ^ About the 2016 Bataclan re-opening show, Sting stated: "In re-opening the Bataclan, we have two important tasks to reconcile. First, to remember and honour those who lost their lives in the attack a year ago, and second to celebrate the life and the music that this historic theatre represents. In doing so we hope to respect the memory as well as the life affirming spirit of those who fell. We shall not forget them."[19]

References

  1. ^ "Sting Discusses His Album, "57th & 9th" (21:46) / BUILD Series". YouTube. 24 October 2016. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  2. ^ a b c "Sting's First Rock Album in 13 Years Coming in November, Single Drops September 2 (by Roger Friedman)". showbiz411.com. 25 July 2016. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
  3. ^ a b c d "Inside Sting's First Rock Album in Decades – How Prince's death, climate change inspired "impulsive" new LP". Rolling Stone. 18 July 2016. Retrieved 21 July 2016.
  4. ^ a b c d "Sting announces new rock album 57th & 9th – "It's rockier than anything I've done in a while."". Consequence of Sound. 18 July 2016. Retrieved 21 July 2016.
  5. ^ http://www.anuariossgae.com/anuario2017/anuariopdfs/04_MGRABADA.pdf
  6. ^ "Exclusive: Sting talks world tour, new album '57th & 9th'". USA Today.
  7. ^ a b Reed, Ryan (31 August 2016), "Sting Teases '57th & 9th' LP With Hard-Hitting New Song ("I Can't Stop Thinking About You" highlights singer's rock-influenced 12th solo album)", Rolling Stone, retrieved 14 November 2016
  8. ^ a b c Dolan, Jon (11 November 2016), "Review: Sting Flexes Rock Muscles on '57th and 9th' (Our take on singer-songwriter's 12th solo album)", Rolling Stone, retrieved 14 November 2016
  9. ^ a b "'I Have A Purpose': Sting Talks About '57th & 9th' And Why He's Still Here (by NPR Staff)". npr.org. 13 November 2016. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
  10. ^ "Sting / Empty Chair / Irving Plaza Fan Club show 11.09.2016 (4:41)". YouTube. 9 November 2016. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  11. ^ "Sting – I Can't Stop Thinking About You – Live @ KROQ Red Bull Sound Space 2016 (3:45)". YouTube. 31 August 2016. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  12. ^ "Sting – 50,000 (Audio)". YouTube. 22 September 2016. Retrieved 5 November 2016.
  13. ^ ThePoliceExcommunicatedIl (7 October 2016), "Sting – One fine day (premiere from 57th &9th) Live 2016.10.06 Deutsche Radiopreis", vimeo.com, retrieved 5 November 2016
  14. ^ "Sting – I Can't Stop Thinking About You". YouTube. 27 October 2016. Retrieved 5 November 2016.
  15. ^ "Sting – Petrol Head (Audio)". YouTube. 3 November 2016. Retrieved 5 November 2016.
  16. ^ "Upcoming..." sting.com. November 2016. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
  17. ^ "Exclusive Sting.com Fan Club 57th & 9th Album Release Party Announced – November 9 at Irving Plaza in NYC!". sting.com. 3 November 2016. Archived from the original on 5 November 2016. Retrieved 5 November 2016.
  18. ^ a b "Nov 12 2016 Sting Setlist at Le Bataclan, Paris, France". setlist.fm. 14 November 2016. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
  19. ^ a b "Sting to Perform an Exclusive Concert In Paris for the Re-opening of the Bataclan on November 12". sting.com. 4 November 2016. Archived from the original on 5 November 2016. Retrieved 5 November 2016.
  20. ^ Lutaud, Lena (4 November 2016), ""Avec Sting, le monde entier va voir le Bataclan revivre!"", Le Figaro, retrieved 5 November 2016
  21. ^ "Tour". Sting's Official Website. 1 February 2017.
  22. ^ "57th & 9th by Sting reviews | Any Decent Music". anydecentmusic.com. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
  23. ^ a b "Critic Reviews for 57th & 9th". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
  24. ^ Sendra, Tim (10 November 2016). "Sting – 57th & 9th". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
  25. ^ Dennis, Jon (10 November 2017). "Sting: 57th & 9th review – Wembley-sized plodding on his first rock album in years". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
  26. ^ Gill, Andy (9 November 2016). "Sting, 57th & 9th". The Independent. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
  27. ^ Dolan, Jon (11 November 2016). "Review: Sting Flexes Rock Muscles on '57th and 9th'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
  28. ^ "57th & 9th Album Now Available for Pre-Order; Tracklisting Revealed". sting.com. 31 August 2016. Archived from the original on 3 September 2016. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  29. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Sting – 57th & 9th". Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
  30. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Sting – 57th & 9th" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  31. ^ "Ultratop.be – Sting – 57th & 9th" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
  32. ^ "Ultratop.be – Sting – 57th & 9th" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
  33. ^ "Sting Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  34. ^ "Czech Albums – Top 100". ČNS IFPI. Note: On the chart page, select 47.Týden 2016 on the field besides the words "CZ – ALBUMS – TOP 100" to retrieve the correct chart. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
  35. ^ "Hitlisten.NU – Album Top-40 Uge 46, 2016". Hitlisten. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
  36. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Sting – 57th & 9th" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
  37. ^ "Sting: 57th & 9th" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  38. ^ "Lescharts.com – Sting – 57th & 9th". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  39. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Sting – 57th & 9th" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
  40. ^ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2016. 45. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved 17 November 2016.
  41. ^ "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 46, 2016". Chart-Track. IRMA. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
  42. ^ "Italiancharts.com – Sting – 57th & 9th". Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
  43. ^ "Charts.nz – Sting – 57th & 9th". Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
  44. ^ "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  45. ^ "Portuguesecharts.com – Sting – 57th & 9th". Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
  46. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
  47. ^ "TOP 100 ALBUMES — SEMANA 46: del 11.11.2016 al 17.11.2016" (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  48. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Sting – 57th & 9th". Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
  49. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Sting – 57th & 9th". Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
  50. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 November 2016.
  51. ^ "Sting Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  52. ^ "Sting Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  53. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 2016". Ultratop. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  54. ^ "Rapports Annuels 2016". Ultratop. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  55. ^ "Top of the Music – FIMI/GfK: Le uniche classifiche annuali complete" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 29 January 2017.
  56. ^ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade Alben 2016 – hitparade.ch". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 January 2017.
  57. ^ "Rapports Annuels 2017". Ultratop. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  58. ^ "Top Rock Albums – Year-End 2017". Billboard. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  59. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 21 December 2016. Retrieved 21 December 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  60. ^ "Wyróżnienia – Platynowe płyty CD - Archiwum - Przyznane w 2018 roku" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
  61. ^ "Sting a primit la Cluj-Napoca discul de aur din partea Universal Music Romania" [Sting was awarded Gold by Universal Music Romania in Cluj-Napoca] (in Romanian). News.ro. 18 October 2017. Retrieved 28 May 2018.