Sting really got carried away with the idea that his supporting crew for
Dream of the Blue Turtles was a real jazz band. He plucked them straight out of
Wynton Marsalis' backing band (thereby angering
Wynton and emboldening his anti-rock stance, while flaring up a sibling rivalry between the trumpeter and his saxophonist brother
Branford -- a veritable hat trick, that), and since he was initially a jazz bassist, it seemed like a good fit. At the very least, it seemed like a monumental occasion because he documented the entire development of the band and making of
Dream with a documentary called Bring On the Night, releasing a double live album as its soundtrack just a year after the debut hit the stores. Arriving as a second solo album, it can't help but feel a little unnecessary, even if the loose, rather infectious performances show what
Sting was trying to achieve with his debut. Even so, this is a record for the cult and will satisfy them. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine