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Duets (Sting album)

Duets is a compilation album by English musician Sting. It was released on 19 March 2021 through A&M Records.

Duets
Compilation album by
Sting
Released19 March 2021
LabelA&M
Sting chronology
My Songs
(2019) 		Duets
(2021) 		The Bridge
(2021)
Singles from Duets
  1. "My Funny Valentine"
    Released: 11 March 2021
  2. "Englishman/African in New York"
    Released: 19 March 2021

Background

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Duets compiles 17 collaborations spanning from 1992's "It's Probably Me" with Eric Clapton from the Lethal Weapon 3 soundtrack to new songs, recorded remotely, with Melody Gardot, Zucchero and Gashi.[1]

The standard "My Funny Valentine", recorded by Sting and Herbie Hancock as the theme song for the 2005 Japanese movie Ashura, was released as a single on 11 March 2021.[2]

"Englishman/African In New York", a reworking of Sting's "Englishman in New York" recorded with African artist Shirazee was released as a non-album digital-only single on 19 March 2021.[3] Shirazee had previously covered the song as "African in New York" with Sting's approval.[4] Sting and Shirazee released a music video[5] and performed the song on ABC's Good Morning America.[6]

An interactive website was launched to complement the album, with details about each song, photos, as well as newly recorded video commentaries from Sting.[4]

The album was originally scheduled to be released in November 2020, but was delayed due to manufacturing delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.[2]

Several titles, such as "Simple" in performance with Ricky Martin, "Message in a Bottle" with All Saints, "Spirits" with Pato Banton from the film Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls and "Always on Your Side" in duet with Sheryl Crow, are not included in the album.

Reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [7]
Clash6/10[8]
The Independent     [9]
Riff Magazine8/10[10]

Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic wrote "Collectively, these duets showcase Sting The Polymath, a cultured and worldly individual with an ability to synthesize his diverse interests into smooth, jazzy, mature pop."[7] Emma Harrison of ClashMusic.com called the album "a solid return...spanning an array of genres including worldbeat, jazz, classical, blues, rock and new-age".[8] Gary Graff of cleveland.com wrote that the songs "speak to Sting's well-documented appetite for creative diversity. And daring."[1] Eoghan Lyng of CultureSonar wrote "Duets shows the singer/songwriter at his most inventive."[11] Rachel Brodsky of The Independent calls the album "a welcome opportunity to revisit Sting's lengthy collaborative CV".[9] Alexander Baechle of Riff Magazine wrote "Duets portrays Sting as a conduit for passionate performances. On many of the songs, his contribution is understated and uncertain, serving to push the featured artist forward. Yet the fact that each song is of such polished and refined quality speaks to Sting's subtle knack for engineering holistic, arty pop songs. Though he sacrifices some amount of the spotlight, the songs, the artists and listeners benefit."[10]

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Sting, except where noted

No.TitleWriter(s)Co-vocalist/CollaboratorLength
1."Little Something"
Melody Gardot2:42
2."It's Probably Me"
Eric Clapton5:02
3."Stolen Car"
  • Sting
  • Mylène Farmer
Mylène Farmer3:21
4."Desert Rose"
  • Sting
  • Cheb Mami
Cheb Mami4:47
5."Rise & Fall"
  • Sting
  • Craig David
  • Dominic Miller
Craig David4:46
6."Whenever I Say Your Name" Mary J. Blige5:24
7."Don't Make Me Wait"
Shaggy3:35
8."Reste"
Gims3:49
9."We'll Be Together" Annie Lennox3:49
10."L'Amour, c'est comme un jour"
  • Charles Aznavour
  • Yves Stéphane
Charles Aznavour4:08
11."My Funny Valentine"
Herbie Hancock4:53
12."Fragile" Julio Iglesias4:25
13."Mama"
  • Sting
  • Nathan Cunningham
  • Labinot Gashi
  • Marc Sibley
GASHI3:18
14."September"
Zucchero3:27
15."Practical Arrangement"
  • Sting
  • Rob Mathes
Jo Lawry4:35
16."None of Us Are Free"
Sam Moore4:03
17."In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning"
Chris Botti4:28
Total length:70:35

Charts

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References

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  1. ^ a b Graff, Gary (16 March 2021). "Sting releases an album of familiar 'Duets' as he continues work on new music". cleveland.com. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  2. ^ a b Iahn, Buddy (2 March 2021). "Sting releasing new digital single to support 'Duets' album". The Music Universe. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  3. ^ Dresdale, Andrea (2 March 2021). "Sting launches new 'Duets' interactive timeline, books 'Good Morning America' appearance". ABC News Radio. Archived from the original on 3 September 2021. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  4. ^ a b "Sting launches interactive website ahead of Duets album release". Celebretainment. 2 March 2021. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  5. ^ "Sting, Shirazee - Englishman / African In New York". 18 March 2021. Retrieved 3 September 2021 – via YouTube.
  6. ^ "Sting, Shirazee - Englishman/African in New York (Live From Good Morning America/2021)". 29 March 2021. Retrieved 3 September 2021 – via YouTube.
  7. ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Duets - Sting". AllMusic. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  8. ^ a b Harrison, Emma (19 March 2021). "Sting - Duets". Clash. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  9. ^ a b Brodsky, Rachel (18 March 2021). "Sting review, Duets: Compilation album is a generous reminder of The Police star's incalculable range". The Independent. Archived from the original on 18 March 2021. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  10. ^ a b Baechle, Alexander (15 March 2021). "Sting brings out the best in his guests on 'Duets' | Album Review". Riff Magazine. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  11. ^ Lyng, Eoghan (12 April 2021). "Sting's "Duets": He Plays Well with Others". CultureSonar. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  12. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Sting – Duets" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
  13. ^ "Ultratop.be – Sting – Duets" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
  14. ^ "Ultratop.be – Sting – Duets" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
  15. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Sting – Duets" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
  16. ^ "Lescharts.com – Sting – Duets". Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
  17. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Sting – Duets" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
  18. ^ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2021. 12. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  19. ^ "Italiancharts.com – Sting – Duets". Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
  20. ^ "Portuguesecharts.com – Sting – Duets". Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
  21. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
  22. ^ "Spanishcharts.com – Sting – Duets". Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
  23. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Sting – Duets". Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
  24. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
  25. ^ "Rapports Annuels 2021". Ultratop. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
  26. ^ "Top de l'année Top Albums 2021" (in French). SNEP. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
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