Sadly, Sting and Shaggy fail to vault over that already low bar. The guy who sings like he’s auditioning to voice a breakfast cereal character? The lion’s share of the set is devoted to Sting, revisiting his back pages. After 40 years of dabbling with island sounds in his music, Sting finally releases a full-on reggae album in a team-up with Jamaican singer Shaggy. Jazz musician Sting and Shaggy's bio, concert & touring information, albums, reviews, videos, photos and more. More often Sting is the one who sounds out of place. Sting even refers to “my good friend Shaggy” early on the duo’s unlikely collaboration 44/876, and the album never leaves any doubt that Sting means it. The strangest record of the year? In a Rolling Stone profile, Shaggy makes a crack about women getting pregnant to the album’s steamy single “Don’t Make Me Wait,” but by and large the Shaggy here is a far less randy one than the “It Wasn’t Me” Shaggy at the turn of the century. 06. Yet every time he reaches for his higher registers he shows the limits of his range, inviting unflattering comparisons to his youthful heyday with the Police. This is still preferable, however, to the duo unwisely mashing up Roxanne with Shaggy’s Mr Boombastic, Sting’s pining for a sex worker uniquely ill-matched to Shaggy’s groin-thrusting self-celebration. Toots Hibbert is still in fine voice. s little sense as the union of Sting and Shaggy makes on paper, the facts and figures speak for themselves. The faithful scarcely seem to mind, enjoying the kind of slick, professional show where Sting introduces every member of the band at least twice. Dreaming In The USA. The groove is strong, the two voices … 2y. Mr. Boombastic? Here, he pulls another detour, teaming up with Jamaican reggae-pop growler Shaggy. New Releases. Why? Best Albums. At times, the album almost feels like Sting’s treat to himself, a reward for all those grief-stricken song cycles, symphonic works, and that one album with all the lute on it. Please try again later. Shaggy and Sting, standing side by side to work on the thankless task of healing the world and its problems with music. Shaggy injects some vitality into Sting's musical approach, while I think Sting grounds Shaggy in the realm of post-Police reggae-pop-rock. And if he were looking to make a splash on the adult contemporary charts, Michael Franti probably could have made it happen. makes a purchase. 04. Alborosie [above], QQ, the Bug, Sean Paul, Mr. Vegas, Buju Banton, and I Wayne star in our round-up of the best of the year in Jamaican music. And the memory of their yodelling competition during Walking on the Moon, honking like duelling foghorns, is one you’d join the Foreign Legion to forget. The only memorable new song they play is Crooked Tree, and that is mostly for the bizarre sight of Shaggy donning a judge’s wig and gown and declaring Sting – seated and pantomiming that he’s in the dock – “guilty as charged”. And Sting’s is kind of wispy to where a gust of wind would carry it out of the room. Shaggy, meanwhile, has a relatively shallow songbook, and it is not best showcased. 44/876 feat. Does Sting feign a Caribbean accent? All our journalism is independent and is in no way influenced by any advertiser or commercial initiative. Once you consider Sting’s recurrent forays into world music with both The Police and his solo career, as well as his songwriting talent, it sets the mind at ease and the collaboration starts to make more sense. Albums. I didn't hear anything about Sting & Shaggy releasing an album together until I saw it here on Amazon,Having heard 'Don't Make Me Wait' & with a little research,Well being a Sting fan & a Reggae Fan/Musician I had to check it out despite not being a fan of Shaggy,And it works Sting is just Sting writing great tracks like … The duo helped write every song on the 12-track album and their collaboration has triggered some interesting — some might say curious — songwriting, including lifted poetry from Lewis Carroll for “Just One Lifetime” and some role-playing (Shaggy portrays a judge and Sting a defendant on the innovative “Crooked Tree”). The Wailers aren’t really the Wailers anymore, but Sting and the Wailers has a hell of a ring to it. 11. Last … The reggae-lite collaboration between Sting and Shaggy is as professional, good-natured, and helplessly uncool as its billing promises. It’s such an old-man record you can almost feel your testosterone drop listening to it. Duelling foghorns … Sting and Shaggy performing at the Roundhouse. Recent Releases; 44/876. Worst of 2018. Genre: Reggae. Morning Is Coming. Yes, I know, it’s a strange one. Then touring the UK until 25 May. Maybe it’s their styles as Shaggy’s voice is so tick…er…thick. Arts and Culture Album reviews: Sting & Shaggy | Chas & Dave | Alexis Taylor | Josh T Pearson Sting's smooth style sits awkwardly with Shaggy's Jamaican dancehall vibe in an unexpected collaboration 07. Don't Make Me Wait. It is also the first joint project of Shaggy’s career. 44/876 by Nenad Georgievski Read more articles . Sting and Shaggy. Even when the material falls flat, as it frequently does, there’s some pleasure in picturing these two entirely unobjectionable personalities living their best lives, knocking back Coronas while gently busting each other’s chops with the superficial banter of Liam Neeson and his middle-age golf buddies in the Taken films. Sting and Shaggy are an unlikely pairing but also an effective one. This article contains affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission if a reader clicks through and Sting and Shaggy. Sting even refers to “my good friend Shaggy” early on the duo’s unlikely collaboration 44/876, and the album never leaves any doubt that Sting means it. Shaggy in particular is an instinctive voice on the album, with some freshly thought out soundbites to go with Sting’s more considered approach. Robbed of its sinful grind and speaker-shredding low-end, Oh Carolina sounds as if it’s being performed on a cruise ship. Why Shaggy? Gotta Get Back My Baby. Crooked Tree. Morgan Heritage & Aidonia. By DONNA BALANCIA. Sad Trombone. Genre: Reggae. However it works, and I'll say that it certainly DOES work, the music sounds really good. Pitchfork is the most trusted voice in music. He’s not as miscast as he sounds on paper. Sting & Shaggy: 44/876 review – you can practically hear the conch shells. 44/876 is as professional, good-natured, and helplessly uncool as its billing promises. Shaggy Articles and Media. 44/876 is the first collaborative album Sting has made since departing The Police nearly 35 years ago. Articles; p>Sign in / sign up and request update access to the Sting and Shaggy page. 22nd Street. ALBUM REVIEW: Sting brings out the best in his guests on ‘Duets’ At 69 years of age and over 7 million monthly listeners on Spotify, English musician Sting would appear to have a fair amount of pull in the music industry. Maybe that’s why so many of these songs, even the upbeat ones, dwell on missed opportunities and the passage of time. The album's title refers to the country calling code for the United Kingdom ( +44 ) and the North American area code for Jamaica ( 876 ), Sting's and Shaggy's respective home countries. But Shaggy? Presumably, if Sting wanted to go 50/50 on a reggae album, he had options. There was a time when Sting legitimately could have nailed a designated reggae album, but his realistic window for that closed quite a while ago. But while they’re clearly having fun, the duo are firmly less than the sum of their parts. Sting plays this album off as if it’s some kind of creative epiphany, when really it’s just a lazy attempt at winning fans over after the abysmal collaboration with Shaggy last year. The LP's lead single “Don’t Make Me Wait” is … It also caused something of a career flourish; 44/876 was Sting’s first UK top 10 album for 16 years and Shaggy’s first for 18 years. April 18, 2018 News Musicians, ... Sting and Shaggy album due Friday - Photo courtesy of Sting and Shaggy. TomP-IN-DUB. 03. Review: Sting and Shaggy Release a Great, Classic Album with 44/876 Review: Sting and Shaggy Release a Great, Classic Album with 44/876. Collectively, these duets showcase Sting The Polymath, a cultured … Discover. Album Review: Sting & Shaggy - 44/876 (8/10) Album Reviews. Stings vocals work well with the reggae vibes, and Shaggy fits comfortably into most songs while still maintaining his signature style. More information. Yup—all those boxes are checked right out the gate on the opening title track, another inglorious addition to the canon of reggae songs about how great reggae music is. Now that that's out of the way, I can say that I really, really enjoy this album. All pictures: Dave Cox A few things go through your mind when you hear Sting and Shaggy are collaborating, producing an album and touring live. Music Reviews: 44/876 by Sting & Shaggy released in 2018 via A&M, Interscope. A&M Records 2018. buy. 44/876 by Sting & Shaggy (Album, Pop Reggae): Reviews, Ratings, … Some of these tracks appeared on soundtracks, some were included on albums by his duet partners, others -- including "September," a song recorded with Zucchero that makes its debut here -- trickled out on compilations. And while there’s some initial absurdity in hearing him opposite Sting, one of the stateliest and most humorless of all of rock elder statesmen, the album never acknowledges it, not even on “Morning is Coming,” where Sting is awoken by to the serene song of a nightingale… that happens to share the severe nasally voice of Shaggy. Just look at them posing on those motorcycles, like your parents in their most embarrassing vacation photo. Music Reviews: 44/876 by Sting & Shaggy released in 2018 via A&M, Interscope. Sting and Shaggy's '44/876' review: A sunny reggae album Back to video Maybe one day, but put the snarkiness aside and enjoy this warm bromance between the Jamaican dancehall king and the cool, intellectual Englishman. Worse still is Every Breath You Take, the song’s creepy edge long erased by over-familiarity, and undercut tonight by Shaggy’s random interjections of “Camden Roundhouse!” and “Are you ready?”. Waiting For The Break Of Day. “It shakes me to my soul with a positive vibration, I start dreaming of Jamaica,” Sting sings, standing out like a fanny-packed tourist against unexpectedly contemporary pop-dancehall production fit for a Sean Kingston album. You know he does. 2.0. poor. My Songs Sting A&M, May 24. 02. 44/876 is a collaborative album by English musician Sting and Jamaican musician Shaggy. March 3, 2019 Sting, a primarily Rock artist and Shaggy, almost exclusively a reggae artist, may seem like an unusual combination. 05. The rest is merely passable, pleasant reggae-pop. T his concert worked for three reasons. … April 26, 2018. by Miguel Costa. https://www.theguardian.com/.../20/sting-shaggy-roundhouse-london-review A companion album of sorts to 2019's My Songs, Duets collects 17 duets Sting has recorded over the years. Sting and Shaggy – ’44/876′ Review. Shaggy rarely has much to do during Sting’s songs: adding superfluous toasts, urging the audience to accompany his stage-mate for the “ee-oh”s on Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic (as if they needed an invitation), or simply putting one foot on a monitor and pointing at the ceiling whenever he feels like it. Does he fetishize white sandy beaches and honor the ghost of Bob Marley? Review Summary: It wasn't me, it was Sting! ... so they share a vernacular that helps turn 44/876 into a surprisingly enjoyable pan-international pop album. The Grammy winners created the foundation for these 14-tracks with a mutual admiration for roots reggae and reggae fusion. Reviews Album Reviews. Tracks. To Love And Be Loved. Nobody will mistake him for one of reggae’s greats, but he’s a game performer, down for whatever the album throws at him, be it dub, rocksteady, or yacht rock. 44/876. Sting & Shaggy, 44/876 - album review By Leigh Sanders Music Published: Apr 23, 2018 As a music writer, this is one review we never thought we would be putting from keyboard to screen. The music’s usually pretty lame, but at least the company is nice. 09. The track’s modern sheen is a fake-out; the rest of the record is more UB40 than Top 40. Best of 2018. Sting ’s last album, 57th & 9th, was a surprisingly straight-ahead, rock-oriented affair. 10. Just One Lifetime. There was a problem filtering reviews right now. EXPLORE Donate . Tags. AllMusic Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine [+] Sting spent the entirety of his career studiously avoiding the appearance of having a good time, which is why his 2018 collaboration with reggae star Shaggy seemed so odd: at the age of 66, the rock star decided it was finally time to crack a smile. As little sense as the union of Sting and Shaggy makes on paper, the facts and figures speak for themselves: last year’s album 44-876 scored the stars their first Top 10 action after a decade lost at sea, along with a Grammy for best reggae album. Full Review. It turns out the two just really hit it off. It was released on 20 April 2018 by A&M Records , Interscope Records and Cherrytree Records . Yes, obviously. 01. Roundhouse, LondonTouring their Grammy-winning album, Sting is in decent voice, but Shaggy adds little of substance, Last modified on Thu 26 Mar 2020 08.43 EDT. His toasts color otherwise colorless songs without disrupting the tasteful romantic vibe Sting sets so carefully. Gym-taut and rich-person-tanned, his improbable Northumberland-via-Trenchtown croon is on fair form. By clicking on an affiliate link, you accept that third-party cookies will be set. With the release of My Songs, he reminds audiences new and old of his roots and time-tested merit as a musician. The great irony of 44/876 is, despite its inherent disposability, it’s actually one of Sting’s more enjoyable albums, simply because he’s actually having fun here. Are there air horns? Album Review. Sting and Shaggy perform at Birmingham's O2 Academy. His voice has taken on a smoky hue that can work for him when he leans into it, especially on the jazzy, The Dream of the Blue Turtles-styled “Waiting for the Break of Day” or the torchy “Sad Trombone” (yes, that’s really the title, and no, it doesn’t get the reference). After decades of treating music as a solemn obligation, he deserves a little vacation, and 44/876 is as close as any Sting album has ever come to sounding like one. At O2 Academy, Newcastle, on 22 May. But tonight, the oddness and lopsidedness of their collaboration is thrown into sharp relief. Songs from the album are juggled alongside both artists’ greatest hits, and their collective material suffers in comparison. Sting & Shaggy - 44/876. Release Date: 2018 | Tracklist. “It did start from a place of spontaneity,” says Shaggy, “It’s us standing there and throwing ideas out. Having won a Grammy or Best Reggae Album of 2018 for his collaboration with Shaggy, Sting’s identity has been subject to much interpretation and change as of late. 12. DIGITAL RELEASE / CD / VINYL [A&M Records] Release date: 04/20/2018. 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