The Soul Cages By Sting

Today, you may think I've completely lost it. Sting, a progger? What am I thinking?

Bear with me. I would like to make the contention that Sting's 1991 album The Soul Cages is about as prog as it gets. First and foremost, it's a no-holds-barred concept album. Secondly, it uses a lot of clever harmonic turns. Third, its songs have a longer form - three of them are seven minutes or thereabouts. Sure, it doesn't have the endless twiddling guitar or keyboard solos often associated with prog. But think about Dark Side of the Moon. No-one would argue that's not prog - is this album so different?

The first song, Island Of Souls, sets the tone. A great melody over a slow, mysterious pulsing synth line develops and builds. There are interesting harmonic and rhythmic changes. The keyboards are tasteful and atmospheric and there's even an appearance from the Northumbrian smallpipes, which is not something you can often say.

The second song is a bit more poppy, of course, but has plenty to maintain interest. The rhythm isn't obvious, the chorus has a great melody, the hook is terrific. Even the key modulation works.

For me, the high point of the album is The Wild Wild Sea. It reminds me in the atmosphere it creates of the late great Gordon Lightfoot's Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald, though perhaps that's suggested by the lyrics. This song still sounds fresh and original now, I could listen to it again and again.

The finale, When The Angels Fall, is the proggiest of all. Its structure is a long way from a straightforward pop song. It builds and builds to a very satisfying conclusion, even changing rhythm right at the end.

I'm often not a fan of Sting's lyrics, which can be clumsy (I have only come here seeking knowledge/Things they would not teach me of in college) but here they shine. They are raw and personal - not surprising given the subject matter of Sting's father's death - and direct. There's genuine emotion in there, which sometimes seems a bit false in Sting's work. There's some really clever turns of phrase. Bonus marks for including the phrase 'murder of crows' without sounding contrived. This is a truly great album.

Reasons to listen:

  • You believe that prog is a broad church
Reasons not to listen:
  • You really can't believe that Sting would come up with something quite so good as this

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