Albums: Sting – 3.0 Live

Sting – 3.0 Live
Message In a Bottle; Englishman in New York; Fields of Gold; Seven Days; All This Time; Driven To Tears; Synchronicity II, Every Breath You Take; Roxanne; Fragile
(Universal)

Reverting to the three-piece lineup that made The Police a successful outfit, Sting releases this thrilling live album. With long-time guitarist Dominic Miller and drummer Chris Maas, some of the best pop tracks of the last forty years are recreated here – some faithfully, whilst others are given a new impetus. The trio has been playing this set live for the last few years, which is evident in the way the playing is solid, experienced, and unconditional.

Of course, there are the obvious cuts here, such as Message in a Bottle, Every Breath You Take, Roxanne and Englishman In New York – the latter missing the jazz-inspired groove which made the original recorded version special. Seven Days, a track from his fourth studio album, Ten Summoner’s Tales from 1993, is one of the rare tracks featured here from his solo career.

Now aged 73 years old, his voice sounds more weathered than in the past, giving these live versions a new light. He might not be able to hit the high notes as he did back in the eighties, but this does not stop the songs from being as good as you have remembered them.

The album is available in multiple formats, with a 2 LP version being available which features further cuts from the 3.0 tour.