Sting: Mercury Falling. Hugh Padgham and Sting (prods.), Hugh Padgham and Simon Osborne (engs.). A&M Records 31454 0483 2. CD.

Of all the artists who pushed rock and roll through the convulsion of punk rock, none has matured as gracefully and completely as Sting. From the throng of pierced ears and jutted jaws, Sting emerged as one of the most thoughtful singer/songwriters of the post-punk generation. His innovative blend of classic English pop idioms with jazz and world music stylings has found a world-wide audience. It may be reaching – history will judge best – but Sting’s influence may be as far-reaching as another heralded English bass player, Paul McCartney.

Mercury Falling is Sting’s fifth solo album since the dissolution of The Police. That band was the punk-rock vehicle that Sting acknowledges today was a just way to get his foot in the door. From his first solo effort, 1985’s The Dream of the Blue Turtles, it was obvious that his true musical sense lay in a direction far more sophisticated than punk dogmatism. He catapulted himself into the rarefied world of contemporary jazz by using his fame and money to go out and find the very best musicians possible. Drawing on such established jazz talents as Branford Marsalis, Kenny Kirkland and Omar Hakim, Sting followed a remarkable intuition that brought this level of musicianship into the idiom of the English pop song.

From the perspective of his career, Mercury Falling closely follows Sting’s basic formula, yet remains a thoroughly enjoyable and musical album on its own. Though many of his songs contain similar progressions and riffs, he makes it all sound new and inviting. His is the art of familiarity and exactitude – a trait shared by musical luminaries throughout the ages. While not as overtly brooding as 1991’s The Soul Cages, there’s an intimate sense to Mercury Falling and its songs about personal loss that are delightfully free of self-pity. Sting’s voice is inherently uplifting, both in pitch and sentiment, and this neatly balances his lyrical melancholy.

In classic understated English manner, Sting presses all the right buttons by not appearing to do so at all. We have the gently undulating radio-anthem "The Hounds of Winter," a gospel-tinged "Let Your Soul Be Your Pilot," the very Police-like "You Still Touch Me," even a heartbreaking country tune in "I’m So Happy I Can’t Stop Crying." He takes a turn singing an all-French number "La Belle Dame Sans Regrets" and breaks a sweat with the 9/8 rhythms of "I Hung My Head." We’ve heard all this before with different treatments and lyrics on his previous efforts, but while this would seem sadly redundant from other artists, Sting manages to keep it honest and fresh.

For Mercury Falling, Sting substitutes Kenny Kirkland for David Sancious on keyboards, while retaining the services of guitarist Dominic Miller and drummer Vinnie Colaiuta. Kirkland brings back a jazzier sense with tinges of gospel, but there’s not that much difference between this band and the one Sting led for his last solo album, 1993’s Ten Summoner’s Tales. The interplay between Sting’s basic song and the Kirkland’s sensitive keyboard, Colaiuta’s subtly funky drumming and Miller’s layered guitar feels so correct – so perfectly balanced – that you can’t blame Sting for retaining the same sonic palette.

In keeping with this theme of consistency is recording quality. While not audiophile-grade, Sting has managed to maintain a very consistent multi-track sound that is virtually unchanged in ten years. Track through any of his solo albums and you’d be hard-pressed to distinguish between the sound of them. Somewhat flat in perspective and with a fine grain over everything, the sound is still punchy and precise. The only consistent false note is the tendency for Sting’s sibilants to sound spitty, presumably a function of an upper midrange peak in the vocal microphone.

Mercury Falling continues to add relevance to Sting’s career and his contribution to modern popular music. While not breaking any real new ground, it is the consistency of vision that is so satisfying here. It reaffirms the belief that artistic endeavor need not succumb to creating something new just for its own sake. That’s pretty refreshing these days.