All This Time (Live)

Sting has dabbled in almost every musical genre as one of the most diverse musical artists. Of course, we all know him as the lead singer of The Police, which produced many lasting rock/pop hits. After a successful run as the lead singer of The Police, he ventured out and began his illustrious solo career as Sting. He has performed with complete classical orchestras, created songs that include French rap, and even made songs heavily influenced by Arabic singing styles. 

It seems like he continually tries to reinvent himself, yet he appears to be at his best when crafting a blend of R&B, jazz and pop styles, as exemplified in title tracks like ‘Nothing But The Sun’ and ‘Brand New Day’. Following Brand New Day, he recorded his second live solo album, All This Time (Live), in 2001.

The album features many of his most popular tracks, including several from Nothing But The Sun and Brand New Day. The ever-popular ‘Englishman In New York’ is omitted. However, the concert DVD contains three additional tracks, one of which is ‘Englishman In New York.’ This album’s US and Japanese versions have slight differences in their track listings, too.

The album sounds like an intimate concert. It was recorded on September 11, 2001, and the album is dedicated to the victims of that day. It was recorded in front of a select fan-club audience from his villa in Tuscany, and most tracks are acoustic and recorded exceptionally well! Nearly every track on this album surpasses the original recording, and both he and the band members seem to be in top form. 

This live album embraces his love for jazz and R&B. Almost all the tracks fit into one of those two categories, regardless of their original genre. ‘A Thousand Years’ is excellent and skirts around the jazz genre; it segues into a full jazz version of ‘A Perfect Love Gone Wrong’. ‘All This Time’ wanders into the territory of soul, featuring a tremendous sizzling organ, a playful piano, and gospel-like female backing vocals. ‘Don’t Stand So Close To Me’, the Police hit, is a subdued version of the pop masterpiece – and better. Meanwhile, the evocative ‘When We Dance’ features a gorgeous cello.

And then there is ‘Roxanne’, his biggest hit, and once again, this album does not disappoint. This live version is better, more interesting, and features several musical surprises that delight and enhance this marvelous track; furthermore, it is recorded very well. Towards the end of the track, the musicians truly jam, making this piece culminate in a great jazzy ending.

Meanwhile, ‘If You Love Somebody’ waltzes in the footsteps of a bluesy Ray Charles. We stay near the great man with the title track from Brand New Day. ‘Fields Of Gold’ is probably the track most similar to the original version, but here it is more acoustic and, in many ways, better. 

‘Moon Over Bourbon Street’ was already quite jazzy in the original recording, but here, the track fully embraces its jazz roots and emerges victorious in its full-fledged jazz version, with subtle piano, drum and trumpet backing.

Gven its somewhat creepy lyrics, since it’s about an obsessive admirer, strangely enough, the last track on the album, ‘Every Breath You Take’, is even faster than the original recording and is the least varied and least impressive track on the album. Still, even the best LPs have a weak spot! 

Otherwise, this is a great, impressive, intimate live album where Sting and the talented musicians he has invited showcase Sting’s varied back catalogue. As mentioned, it’s recorded very well for a live album. It’s a must-have for Sting and The Police fans, and if you are only going to buy one album from Sting, this would be the first one I would recommend. But this album is worth having, even for people who might not be Sting fans.

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