Sting on DeBaser: jazz-pop diplomacy, peak Police echoes, and some very expensive naps

The Profile

Sting (Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner) is a British singer-songwriter and bassist, best known as the frontman of The Police and for a long solo career blending pop/rock songwriting with jazz and other influences.

Publicly verifiable: he is an English musician and former member of The Police; his birth name is Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner; he has released solo albums including The Dream of the Blue Turtles, ...Nothing Like the Sun, The Soul Cages, Ten Summoner’s Tales, and later 57TH & 9TH.

Across 19 reviews, Sting is praised at his best for elegant jazz-pop songwriting and top-tier musicianship (especially early solo and live). Ten Summoner’s Tales and The Dream of the Blue Turtles are framed as peak maturity and craft, while later projects (wintery/baroque/classical detours, symphonic reworks, compilations) often get labeled boring, glossy, or pretentious. Live performances and certain standout tracks are repeatedly noted as proof he can still deliver. Overall: respect for talent and voice, frustration with inconsistency.

Notable Quotes

❝ A record for true connoisseurs, for me the best.

❝ To be listened to without prejudice... to be owned without a doubt!

❝ This time I put on the album for the first time and... Bang!... Naptime.

❝ 20.60 €s! I mean 20.60euros!!! after repeated listens to optimize the investment I have come to this only conclusion: FOR SALE LATEST STING CD, LIKE NEW, DUE TO IMPULSIVE PURCHASE!