Sting & Shaggy, 44/876

[A&M/Interscope]
Grade: D

“The most important thing to me in any kind of music is surprise,” Sting told Rolling Stone about collaborating with dancehall crossover Shaggy. It’s true: It’s surprising anyone would make or listen to this, when there’s literally 50 years of reggae music to choose from, yet here we are. 44/876 refers to the worlds-colliding country codes of Sting’s England and Shaggy’s Jamaica, though it’s not that unlikely a pairing. Sting’s offered a politely weak-tea version of reggae for decades, and here he cranks up his faux-Jamaican patois to pledge that “the ghost of Bob Marley / Haunts me to this day”—Marley’s spirit doomed to walk the earth, moaning for Sting to knock it off—all while Mr. Boombastic lends his baritone big-ups to the duo’s slick, beachfront-condo vibes. Perhaps the only shocker is that this Tommy Bahama shirt of an album isn’t even fun to laugh at. Sure, Sting drops awkward reference to “my good friend, Shaggy.” “Just One Lifetime” reggae-fies Lewis Carroll’s “The Walrus And The Carpenter.” One track is called, with no apparent self-awareness, “Sad Trombone.” (It’s about a sad trombonist.) But mostly, 44/876 is just unremarkable, limply competent reggae lite, designed for Sandals resort lobbies and Sting’s office.

RIYL: Bob Marley posters. Malibu Rum. Gently skanking. Rasta-fying things by 10 percent or so. Being employed by Sting.

Start here: The perfectly fine “Don’t Make Me Wait” puts out the kind of smooth, sexy-brunch vibe that Sting is pretty sure you’re gonna wanna fuck to, and maybe that’ll distract you from finishing the album. [Sean O’Neal]

Alexis Taylor, Beautiful Thing

[Domino Recording Co.]
Grade: C

Hot Chip frontman Alexis Taylor may be physically small, but his musical reach is great. Downtime from his day job is filled with an array of other music-driven pursuits, the latest being Beautiful Thing, his fourth solo album. The polar opposite of 2016’s exceedingly quiet Piano, Beautiful Thing is an eclectic combination of ups and downs. From shuddering rhythms to ambient bubbles, tinkling keys to clubby beats, Beautiful Thing’s zigzagging moods could partly be attributed to its producer, DFA Records’ Tim Goldsworthy. This is the first time Taylor has worked with an outside producer on his solo work, a smart move considering he tends to get bogged down and repetitive in his own arty ideas. But yo-yoing of tempos and moods aside, whether it is on the stripped-down “A Hit Song” or the jerky, David Byrne-esque “Oh Baby,” Taylor sounds pretty emotional, a sadness underscoring his signature vocals throughout.

RIYL: Early-morning chill sessions after a hard night of warehouse partying. Joe Goddard’s Electric Lines. Jamie xx’s In Colour.

Start here: The rave-up title track is a good example of the album’s dancier moments, building to an especially catchy retro-futurist house-piano progression. [Lily Moayeri]

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