bob_tomato's Full Review: Let Your Soul Be Your Pilot [Maxi Single] by Sting
Song List
Let Your Soul Be Your Pilot
The Bed's Too Big Without You (remake)
Someone to Watch Over Me
Englishman in New York
Facts about "Let Your Soul Be Your Pilot"
(Found at Sting's official site http://www.sting.com)
Released on the album "Mercury Falling" March 6th 1996
Single first released February 24th, 1996
Highest UK Chart position #15, 4 weeks on the chart
US information unknown
Let Your Soul Be Your Pilot
The CD Maxi Single for "Let Your Soul Be Your Pilot" is a great snapshot of Sting's range of talent and of his long and successful career. On this four song release, Sting fronts a gospel choir, revisits his Police roots, croons a Gershwin classic, and finally, tells a waitress how he likes his tea and toast.
Give Me That Old Time Religion
"Let Your Soul Be Your Pilot", a rousing gospel anthem, was the first song released off the 1996 recording "Mercury Falling", and gave notice to the world once again, that Sting could take any style of music and make it his own. To create this Sting/gospel fusion, he brought in the legendary Memphis Horns and the East London Gospel Choir to complement his band of talented jazz musicians, and the sound is truly heavenly. Sting sings about life's pains and trials, and that even when no hope seems to be in sight, you can find your way to the light by following the guidance of your soul. Like any good sermon, the song takes it time to build; one can picture Sting at a revival tent pulpit, describing the hurts we all experience:
When you're down and they're counting
When your secrets are found out
When your troubles take to mounting
When the map you have leads you to doubt
Sting paces the stage, laying out all of our fears and doubts, growing more intense as the choir and the horns start to fall into place:
When the doctors failed to heal you
When no medicine chest can make you well
When no counsel leads to comfort
When there are no more lies they can tell
No more useless information
And the compass spins
The compass spins between heaven and hell
Let your soul be your pilot
Let your soul guide you
He'll guide you well
The bridge arrives, and he changes the focus from the problems to the answer in the final verse:
Let your pain be my sorrow
Let your tears be my tears too
Let your courage be my model
That the north you find will be true
- Copyright 1996, Sting/A&M Records
The choir and horns break loose with the final chorus, and Sting leads us in joyful response, as hope and healing fall upon those gathered. Can I get an "Amen"?
Sting Makes The Bed Again
The second album by The Police, "Regatta De Blanc", included three strong singles: "Walking on the Moon", Sting's perennial concert finale "Message In A Bottle", and "The Bed's Too Big Without You". This version is a complete reworking of the song, and first appeared on the soundtrack for the movie The Truth About Cats and Dogs) Without going into a complete history of the rise of punk, this sound drew heavily upon reggae as it's foundation and The Police were part of the forefront of the English punk sound. This remake confuses the sound somewhat. Sting recruited Ranking Roger, formerly of The English Beat and General Public, to add a rapped reggae verse, but the song ends up feeling stretched. The reggae feel is ok - it certainly is NOT Bob Marley - and I still prefer the original Police version to this one. This song is really just for the Sting collectors out there.
Gorgeous Gershwin
In this day and age, most songs are forgotten as soon as MTV drops them from heavy rotation. Some songs linger, having some quality of sound or lyric that we enjoy and can easily recall. Very few songs are timeless and George and Ira Gerswhin created a true classic when they penned "Someone To Watch Over Me". This song has been recorded many times, and a few of these recordings are regarded as classics in their own right - Frank Sinatra's version being the prime example - and Sting's beautifully simple rendition can be added near the top of this short list. Recorded for Ridley Scott's 1987 movie of the same name, Sting reduces the song to piano and vocal, changes the gender of the lyrics, and delivers a quietly emotional performance that impresses on the first hearing. Sting has recorded some beautiful music in his career, and for me, this one is only outdone by his signature work "Fragile". Sting's "Someone To Watch Over Me" is must own music.
A fan favorite I don't drink coffee, I take tea my dear
I like my toast done on one side
This is one of my favorite opening lines from any of Sting's songs. Englishman in New York did not do very well on radio, but Sting still performs it in concert to the delight of his faithful listeners. The song originally appeared on the 1987 release Nothing Like The Sun, considered by many to be Sting's best recording. If you don't have "Englishman" in your collection, buy the full album - it is well worth it.
Overall Recommendation
This maxi-single contains three very good Sting songs, and a so-so soundtrack remake of a Police classic. This single is a good buy because, for the price of this one CD, you can acquire two Sting songs that did not appear on any of his albums.
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