This came out in 2003 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
First and foremost, I am happy to report that Sting’s new CD is not a concept album about tantric sex — when he talks about Sacred Love, he’s referring to the sanctity of romance.
Second, I am also quite pleased to note that this 11-song set is a typically sincere, soulful and stylish affair from the Stingster, with well-tailored adult-contemporary tunes that are impeccably performed and tastefully produced — although they can also be a tad antiseptic, over-serious and samey-sounding at times. Still, I suspect you’ll be as glad as I was to hear Sting reining in the artsy pompousity and jazzbo-wannabe complexity he sometimes favours for down-to-earth songs loaded with smouldering ethnic grooves, nostalgic moments (Dead Man’s Rope finds him wandering into Walking In Your Footsteps) and a simple, heartfelt message for the post-9/11 world: Send your love into the future. Mostly, though, I’m happy that I don’t have to hear about that whole tantric sex thing.
