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The Last Ship
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The Last Ship Image
Metascore
66

Generally favorable reviews - based on 7 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
8.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 16 Ratings

  • Summary: The latest release for the multiple Grammy-winning singer-songwriter was inspired by his 2014 Broadway play of the same name about a British shipyard.
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  • Record Label: A&M
  • Genre(s): Folk, Adult Contemporary, Pop/Rock, Contemporary Singer/Songwriter, Contemporary Pop/Rock, British Folk, Cast Recordings, Musical Theater
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Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 7
  3. Negative: 0 out of 7
  1. PopMatters
    Oct 10, 2013
    70
    Sting the pop singer is clearly not returning any time soon--but for better or worse, he manages to shine on The Last Ship.
  2. AllMusic
    Sep 24, 2013
    70
    There is a whiff of condescension to some of the blue-collar anthems, the air is often haughty ("The Night the Pugilist Learned How to Dance")--but this is Sting's tightest collection of songs in ages, and they all play off each other, adding up to a cohesive whole that is surely one of his best latter-day records.
  3. Rolling Stone
    Sep 24, 2013
    60
    The play won't open until next year, so for now all the drama in these songs is internal, and all the more riveting for that.
  4. The Guardian
    Sep 24, 2013
    60
    While it feels more a "project" than an album--mainly because urbane Sting never quite nails the protagonists' desperation--he tells their stories with kindness and care.
  5. Boston Globe
    Sep 24, 2013
    60
    Unfortunately, the set doesn’t quite command as a fully realized piece.
  6. Consequence
    Sep 26, 2013
    60
    It ends with a glorious resolution of two notes teased from Northumbrian pipes, so perfect and final that the reprise of “The Last Ship” seems redundant. Such honest moments make this album a worthwhile, if not fully rounded experience.
  7. The Telegraph (UK)
    Sep 24, 2013
    60
    Sting sounds earnest and isolated: like a man singing bleakly out to sea. But he veers towards hammy at times, laying his Geordie accent on a little too thickly.

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 2
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 2
  3. Negative: 0 out of 2
  1. pproject
    Nov 15, 2016
    8
    Putting songs from a musical out before the musical was quite brave and clever. For me this album flows from start to end and should bePutting songs from a musical out before the musical was quite brave and clever. For me this album flows from start to end and should be listened to in one sitting. A nice collection of interesting songs with a strong narrative. Even if you dont like Sting there's some really amazing music and musicianship on this album to admire.… Collapse
  2. MES
    Oct 21, 2013
    7
    Disclosure: I'm a big Sting fan. Almost all of his albums either resonate or challenge me. The guy is a master musician and veryDisclosure: I'm a big Sting fan. Almost all of his albums either resonate or challenge me. The guy is a master musician and very sophisticated song writer. That said, this album doesn't work for me. He's telling a story with a very clear point of view and probably shouldn't be viewed as an album as much as a musical soundtrack....which, in fact, it is. But I'm afraid that Sting raised the bar too high to let Last Ship work for me. The music is quite Celtic in lineage and if that doesn't float your boat, it may be the Last Ship to Sink. The album almost sounds like a Van Morrison/Sting collaboration so if you like both artists, it may work for you. It didn't work for me. Sorry Gordon. Hope the show is a big hit, but the music won't carry it.… Expand

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