Police

Zenyatta Mondatta

Dazzling Perfection Of Their Early Sound

Review Score:

(10/10)
Apparently recorded under stressful conditions in only a few weeks before embarking on a massive world tour, "Zenyatta Mondatta" represents The Police hitting an early peak. It is not so much a departure from their previous sound as the next albums "Ghost In The Machine" and "Synchronicity" were, but rather a perfection of it, with a much deeper lyrical edge. The group has never sounded so effortless or relaxed, which is strange considering the supposedly rushed conditions in the studio. The driving masterpiece "Don't Stand So Close To Me" moves straight into the thoughtful "Driven To Tears" and right into the ecstatic "When The World Is Running Down" without a hitch, and it goes on from there. Summers' guitar timbre sounds incredibly liquid here, and his creative restraint (like in the always-cool break on "When The World") is most admirable. The list of great, great pop tunes go on: "Voices In My Head", "De Do Do Do", "Shadows In The Rain" (which is slower and more graceful than anything on the first two albums), "The Other Way Of Stopping"...even the minor cuts, like "Man In A Suitcase" and "Canary In A Coalmine", sound upbeat. This is actually my favorite Police album, ahead of "Synchronicity", since the songs fly by like a cool breeze to get those endorphins moving and grooving. Sting, what happened to you?!?

Michael

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