Sacred Love

{{#invoke:other uses|otheruses}} Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use British English {{safesubst:#invoke:Unsubst-infobox||$params=italic_title,name,type,longtype,artist,cover,border,alt,caption,released,recorded,venue,studio,genre,length,language,label,director,producer,compiler,chronology,prev_title,prev_year,year,next_title,next_year,misc|$extra=italic_title,longtype,border,caption,language,director,compiler,chronology,year,misc|$aliases=italic title>italic_title,Italic title>italic_title,Name>name,Type>type,image>cover,Cover>cover,Border>border,Alt>alt,Caption>caption,Longtype>longtype,Artist>artist,Released>released,Recorded>recorded,Venue>venue,Studio>studio,Genre>genre,Length>length,Language>language,Label>label,Director>director,Producer>producer,Compiler>compiler,Chronology>chronology,Misc>misc|$flags=override|$B={{#ifeq:{{#invoke:Is infobox in lead|main|[Ii]nfobox [Aa]lbum}}|true|{{#if:Template:Has short description | |{{#if: Template:Start date | Template:Short description}}}}}}{{#invoke:Infobox|infobox}}Template:Template otherTemplate:Category handlerTemplate:Main other{{#invoke:Check for unknown parameters|check|unknown=Template:Main other|preview=Page using Template:Infobox album with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y|italic_title |type |name |image |cover |border |alt |caption |longtype |artist |released |recorded |venue |studio |genre |length |language |label |director |producer |compiler |prev_title|prev_year|next_title|next_year|chronology|year|misc}}{{#if:{{#invoke:String|match|error_category=Music infoboxes with Module:String errors|A|1=...All This Time2001Songs from the Labyrinth2006studioSacred LoveSacred love.jpgStingTemplate:Start dateTemplate:HlistTemplate:Hlist55:20A&MTemplate:Hlistx|2=</?t[drh][ >]|nomatch=}}|Template:Main other}}Template:Main other}} Template:Album ratings Sacred Love is the seventh studio album by the English musician Sting. The album was released on 29 September 2003. The album featured smoother, R&B-style beats and experiments collaborating with hip-hop artist Mary J. Blige and sitar player Anoushka Shankar. Some songs like "Inside" and "Dead Man's Rope" were well received, and Sting had experimented with new sounds, in particular the more rock-influenced "This War".<ref name=Sting.com>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Sacred Love received positive reviews from critics and was a commercial success, peaking at number three in the US and UK. It would be Sting's last album of original material until The Last Ship (2013).

Background

Sting adapted the first quatrain of William Blake's Auguries of Innocence for the first four sung lines of "Send Your Love".

Sting's collaboration with Blige, "Whenever I Say Your Name", won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals at the 46th Grammy Awards in 2004. The first single "Send Your Love" was also nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, but it lost to "Cry Me a River" by Justin Timberlake.<ref name=Sting.com />

In August 2015, Mylène Farmer and Sting duetted on "Stolen Car (Take Me Dancing)" and released it as the lead single from Farmer's tenth studio album, Interstellaires;<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> the track is produced by The Avener.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Personnel

• Sting – vocals, keyboards, guitars, bass (1–10, 12), Turkish clarinet
• Kipper – keyboards, programming, backing vocals
• David Hartley – piano and choir arrangements
• Jason Rebello – acoustic piano, Rhodes electric piano
• Jeff Young – Hammond organ
• Dominic Miller – guitars
• Vicente Amigo – flamenco guitar (2)
• Anoushka Shankar – sitar (9)
• Danny Dunlap – bass (11)
• Christian McBride – double bass
• Manu Katché – drums
• Vinnie Colaiuta – drums
• Rhani Krija – percussion
• Valerie Denys – castanets
• Aref Durvesh – tabla
• Levon Minassian – duduk
• Clark Gayton – trombone
• Chris Botti – trumpet
• Jacqueline Thomas – cello
• Mary J. Blige – lead vocals (3)
• Katreese Barnes – backing vocals
• Ada Dyer – backing vocals
• Lance Ellington – backing vocals
• Donna Gardier – backing vocals
• Joy Rose – featured and backing vocals
• Bahija Rhapl – ethnic vocals
• Choeur de Radio France – choir
• Philip White – associate chorus master

Technical credits

• Simon Osborne – recording, mixing
• Steve Miller – mix engineer (11)
• Peter "Hopps" Lorimer – assistant engineer
• Donal Hodgson – Pro Tools engineer and programming
• Claudius Mittendorfer – technical assistant
• Charlie Paakkari – technical assistant
• Rodolphe Plisson – technical assistant
• Dave Audé – remixing and additional production (11)
• Chris Blair – stereo mastering
• Peter Mew – 5.1 mastering
• Danny Quatrochi – personal technician
• Recorded at Studio Mega (Paris, France); The Hit Factory (New York City, New York); Capitol Studios (Hollywood, California).
• Mastered at Abbey Road Studios (London, UK).

Production credits

• Martin Kierszenbaum – A&R
• Andrea Ruffalo – A&R coordinator
• Tam Fairgrieve – production manager
• Richard Frankel – package design
• Paolo Roversi – photography
• Kathryn Schenker – management

Charts

Weekly charts

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Chart (2003–2004)	Peak position
Japanese Albums (Oricon)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	10
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>	5

Year-end charts

Chart (2003)	Position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	45
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	52
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	27
French Albums (SNEP)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	112
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	42
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	89
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	19
UK Albums (OCC)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	87
US Billboard 200<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	122
Worldwide Albums (IFPI)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	34
Chart (2004)	Position
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	51
US Billboard 200<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>	130

External links

• Template:Metacritic album