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After "Falling,' now it's "Love'

 
Published Jan. 23, 2004|Updated Aug. 27, 2005

With a band or alone, Sting's success has endured more than two decades.

After disbanding the Police at the peak of the group's popularity in 1984, Sting (Gordon Sumner) quickly established himself as a successful solo artist.

He incorporated elements of jazz, classical and worldbeat into his music, writing literate and meaningful lyrics.

For such unabashed ambition, he was equally loved and reviled, with supporters believing that he was at the forefront of intelligent rock and critics finding his work pompous.

Before the Police officially split, Sting began work on his first solo album in late 1984, rounding up a group of jazz musicians as a supporting band. The move wasn't entirely unexpected because Sting had played with jazz and progressive rock bands in his youth. Still, the result was considerably more mature and diverse than any Police record.

He suffered some misses, such as 1996's Mercury Falling, which debuted high but quickly fell on the charts, stalling at platinum sales and failing to generate a hit single.

But Sting's latest album, Sacred Love, is faring well on the charts. His nearly sold-out worldwide Sacred Love tour comes to Tampa on Monday at 7:30 p.m. at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center's Carole Morsani Hall. The show is sold out.