Duets (Sting album)
A compilation of Sting's duets from 1992 to 2021.
Last updated
Duets is a compilation album by English musician Sting, released on 19 March 2021 through A&M Records. It brings together 17 collaborative recordings spanning from 1992 to new remote sessions.
Background
The album compiles 17 collaborations ranging from 1992's "It's Probably Me" with Eric Clapton from the Lethal Weapon 3 soundtrack to newly recorded remote songs with Melody Gardot, Zucchero and Gashi. A single, "My Funny Valentine" with Herbie Hancock, was released on 11 March 2021 as the theme for the 2005 Japanese movie Ashura. A non-album digital-only single, "Englishman/African In New York", a reworking of Sting's "Englishman in New York" with Shirazee, came out on 19 March 2021; the pair performed it on Good Morning America.
An interactive website launched with song details, photos and video commentaries. Originally scheduled for November 2020, the album was delayed by manufacturing issues due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Several tracks, including "Simple" with Ricky Martin and "Message in a Bottle" with All Saints, were not included.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Little Something | Sting, Noraa Abakar, Conor Blake, Antoine Chatenet, Melody Gardot, Dominic Miller, Hilda Stenmalm | 2:42 |
| 2 | It's Probably Me | Sting, Eric Clapton, Michael Kamen | 5:02 |
| 3 | Stolen Car | Sting, Mylène Farmer | 3:21 |
| 4 | Desert Rose | Sting, Cheb Mami | 4:47 |
| 5 | Rise & Fall | Sting, Craig David, Dominic Miller | 4:46 |
| 6 | Whenever I Say Your Name | 5:24 | |
| 7 | Don't Make Me Wait | Sting, Orville Burrell, Ashante Reid, Shaun Pizzonia, Kameron Quintin Jones, Kennard Garrett | 3:35 |
| 8 | Reste | Sting, Maître Gims, Renaud Rebillaud | 3:49 |
| 9 | We'll Be Together | 3:49 | |
| 10 | L'Amour, c'est comme un jour | Charles Aznavour, Yves Stéphane | 4:08 |
| 11 | My Funny Valentine | Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart | 4:53 |
| 12 | Fragile | 4:25 | |
| 13 | Mama | Sting, Nathan Cunningham, Labinot Gashi, Marc Sibley | 3:18 |
| 14 | September | Sting, Zucchero Fornaciari, Rob Mathes | 3:27 |
| 15 | Practical Arrangement | Sting, Rob Mathes | 4:35 |
| 16 | None of Us Are Free | Barry Mann, Brenda Russell, Cynthia Weil | 4:03 |
| 17 | In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning | Bob Hilliard, David Mann | 4:28 |
| Total length | 70:35 | ||
Track listing from the source article.
Reception
Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic wrote that the duets showcase Sting as a cultured and worldly individual synthesizing diverse interests into smooth, mature pop. Emma Harrison of ClashMusic.com called the album a solid return spanning worldbeat, jazz, classical, blues, rock and new-age. Gary Graff of cleveland.com noted the songs speak to Sting's appetite for creative diversity.
Eoghan Lyng of CultureSonar described the album as showing Sting at his most inventive. Rachel Brodsky of The Independent saw it as a welcome opportunity to revisit his collaborative CV. Alexander Baechle of Riff Magazine wrote that Duets portrays Sting as a conduit for passionate performances, with his understated contribution pushing featured artists forward while maintaining polished quality.
More in A&M Records Compilation Albums
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Duets (Sting album) (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced