Sting & Shaggy - 44/876 (2018)

They really could have put more effort into that cover photo, don't ya think? At least put Sting on the left under his name? Make no mistake, while Sting gets top billing, this is really a Shaggy CD with a few contributions from Sting. And that's fine with me because Sting hasn't put out anything consistently good since 1993. But it's exactly what you'd expect if you heard Sting and Shaggy were putting together a few tunes. I was hoping that Sting would revert to late '70s Sting "reggatta de blanc" but it isn't to be (the closest we get is the verse of track 8, Dreaming In The U.S.A.). The album isn't quite as awkward as the cover photo, but it comes close at times.

Metacritic has this rated at 49 which is close enough. But Sting doesn't play any lute and it sounds like he and Shaggy are having a good time, so I'll just accept this album for what it is: a fun, back porch, bucket of beers, summer listen. I'll probably listen to it quite a bit over the next three months, add a few tunes to a reggae playlist, then shelve it.

FWIW, I picked up an edition with 4 bonus tracks because it was there.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: #40

Tracks: I'll categorize and rank them for your convenience.

Good fun:

1. Don't Make Me Wait & the Dave Audé Rhythmic Radio Remix⁺
2. Morning Is Coming (with Brandford Marsalis)
3. Dreaming In The U.S.A.

Good enough:

4. To Love and Be Loved
5. Just One Lifetime
6. 22nd Street
7. If You Can't Find Love⁺
8. Sad Trombone*
9. 44/876
10. Gotta Get Back My Baby

Skip:

11. Night Shift
12. Waiting For The Break Of Day
13. 16 Fathoms⁺
14. Crooked Tree
15. Love Changes Everything⁺ (from the 1989 Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, Aspects of Love. Yes, it is truly a reggae attempt at a show tune.)

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: I picked this up at a local Target and promptly stuck it in my truck's CD player which was ill-equipped to handle the preponderance of bass in these mixes. Probably best heard on Beats headphones (if those are still a thing).

*(yes, that’s really the title, and no, it doesn’t get the reference)
⁺ indicates bonus track

Previously revisited for the blog:
57th & 9th (2016)
Sacred Love (2003)
Brand New Day (1999)
Roxanne 97 (Puff Daddy Remix) (1997)
Mercury Falling (1996)
The Best of Sting 1984-1994 (1994)
Ten Summoner's Tales (1993)
The Soul Cages (1991)
...Nothing Like The Sun (1987)
Bring On The Night (1986)
The Dream of the Blue Turtles (1985)