by Lauren Rosier
You would think that with a musical legend like Sting, a record of his would receive higher recognition and praise; however, this particular release did not. The lack of recognition completely boggles my mind especially with the amazing storytelling and imagery that he paints with these songs.
With Mercury Falling, Sting presents an emotionally charged record that touches upon subjects such as love, loss and death in a package so moving and fragile.
The record opens with the track, “The Hounds of Winter”, a stinging song (no pun intended) about a man missing the woman he loves and the pain he endures that is comparable to the cold, bitterness of winter.
My favorite song has to be the second on the record titled “I Hung My Head.” It’s such a superb example of storytelling and imagery: “Early one morning with time to kill / I borrowed Jib’s rifle / And sat on the hill / I saw a lone rider crossing the plain / I drew a bead on him to practice my aim / My brother’s rifle went off in my hand / A shot rang out across the land / The horse he kept running, the rider was dead / I hung my head, I hung my head…”
The song “Let Your Soul Be Your Pilot” is an inspirational tune about when “you’re down and they’re counting / when your secrets are all found out / when your troubles are mounting…” you should “let your soul be your pilot.”
Sting pulls together a variety of musical influences including jazz, world and new age genres on this record. On “I Was Brought To My Senses” these influences really shine in the beginning of the song and then it switches to a simple, yet beautiful string and acoustic guitar arrangement.
The simplicity, tranquility, and pleasantry of this album is incredible. My father has always been a huge influence on me for music and this was one of the records he introduced to me. It has been a staple in my music library ever since. I hope by reading this brief editorial and by (hopefully) listening to this record you can also take away all the realism in the lyrics and the imagery he paints and gain something positive from it.
