Then there’s the songs’ subject matter, a gnarly weave of ideas, jokes, mythic allusions and contradictory emotions. It won the Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male and was further nominated for both Record of the Year and Song of the Year. Its title was a lighthearted combination of Sting’s given surname, Sumner, and the summoner, a character in Geoffrey Chaucer’s 15th-century literary staple The Canterbury Tales. Mixed by the four-time Grammy Award-winning Robert “Hitmixer” Orton, Ten Summoner’s Tales is also available in Dolby Atmos. Saint Augustine in Hell” grapples with lust; “Fields of Gold” is a folkish remembrance of things past that eschews sentimentality; “If I Ever Lose My Faith in You” combines the love-song feeling of a first-rate pop song with genuinely felt metaphysical questioning.

Sting’s ‘Ten Summoner’s Tales’ Now Available In Expanded

For one thing, there’s the musical ambition, ably realized by a band that now seems capable of playing anything: “Love Is Stronger Than Justice (The Munificent Seven)” may initially sound countryish, but few country songs come in 7/4 time, and Sting’s forays into jazz complexity are evident everywhere. But while his sixth solo effort boasts the smooth musicianship and sturdy melodies that have made him a megaseller, the album (fortunately) can’t help betraying Sting’s status as one of pop’s certified big thinkers. Where 1991’s The Soul Cages had been a reflection on personal loss, prompted in part by the death of his father, Ten Summoner’s Tales was an uplifting and emotional treatise on testing the boundaries of love and making critical choices, both virtuous and suspect. After the searing catharsis of The Soul Cages (1991), Sting‘s intensely private eulogy for his father, Ten Summoner’s Tales, seems like an intentional crowd pleaser (despite its title, lifted from Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales): the former Police-man crafting hooks as handily as he has sold out arenas.

Contributors included such stellar players as guitarist Dominic Miller, drummer Vinnie Colaiuta, and pedal steel master Paul Franklin, with Kathryn Tickell’s Northumbrian small pipes illuminating the elegant and often-covered “Fields of Gold. Taylor’s Version) [From The Vault] Now That We Don’t Talk (Taylor’s Version) [From The Vault] Agora Hills “Slut! Sting himself played bass, double bass, harmonica, and saxophone, created the arrangements and sang all of the album’s lead vocals. The album was first released on March 1, 1993, and is now available digitally in a 27-track edition featuring the original 12-song record and 15 bonus tracks.

Sting - Ten Summoner’s Tales Lyrics and Tracklist | Genius

Released in 1993, it explores themes of love and morality in a noticeably upbeat mood compared to his previous release, the introspective The Soul Cages released in 1991 after the loss of both his parents in the 1980s. The album, produced by the artist with his longtime collaborator Hugh Padgham, included many of Sting’s best-loved songs, including such hit singles as “It’s Probably Me,” “If I Ever Lose My Faith in You,” “Fields of Gold,” and “Shape of My Heart. It was nominated for three BPI BRIT Awards, including Best British Album and Best British Video, with Sting winning the NRIT Award for Best British Male Artist as a performer. The title is a combined pun of his family name, Sumner, and character in Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales, the summoner.These comprise B-sides, remixes, alternate versions, and live performances, and 11 of them are previously unavailable for download or streaming.

Ten Summoner’s Tales – Rolling Stone

The album as a whole had six Grammy nominations, winning three, also including Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical and Best Music Video, Long Form.