Bass Magazine digs into the latest releases of albums, books, and videos involving all things bass
Sting
The Bridge [A&M]
On his first studio album since his 2018 collaboration with Shaggy, Sting is back in a big, bass-heavy way on The Bridge, manning fretted, fretless, and acoustic basses, and for the first time including a bass feature (be sure to get the 13-track deluxe edition). The record — inspired by and recorded during the pandemic — kicks off with two radio-ready tracks: the Police-ish “Rushing Water,” and the positive popper “If It’s Love.” The darker, more narrative “The Book of Numbers” and the Celtic march “The Hills on the Border” sit upon Sting’s tasteful, deep-toned fretless parts (courtesy of his tobacco-sunburst fretless Fender Jazz Bass), while “Loving You” rides Maya Jane Coles’ loping synth bass. “Harmony Road” is a pivot point, echoing solo Sting with its 5/4 meter (nicely developed by drummer Josh Freese), angular changes, and a soaring soprano sax solo from Branford Marsalis. “For Her Love” has a “Shape of My