It is in this respect that Sting’s, “Songs from The Labyrinth” is such a remarkble, culture-bridging piece of work. Were I to choose an album of the decade, not that I personally resort to printing lists as a way of expressing my opinion (I leave that doubtful work to bloggers and music journalists, if there indeed is any disambiguation between the two: for all intents and purposes they have pretty much blended into one and the same), I’d invariably choose just that very record. “Songs from The Labyrinth” is important because Sting has given every effort to rediscover the music of John Dowland (1523-1626) while infusing the British renaissance composer with both a new harmony as well as a fair dose of his own personality (in spite of claiming that he didn’t feel the need to express his personality through the works of Dowland… an attitude both commendable and charmingly admirable).

Those unfamiliar to Dowland may at a glance hear only the lute and a perfunctory glance might not reveal much save invoke images of grandly clad renaissance folk plunking away at strings over a lavish meal (oh, you Hollywood-handicapped youth!). Dowland, however, deserves a much more insightful look. While this is no place, and I am not scholar enough to make any accurate statements, it remains a fact that he was truly masterful in both composition, melody and lyric. To this day he is thought of as one of our most insightful and complex songwriters – with a dire catalogue to prove it.

By no means is Dowland a secret. In fact, many modern guitarists (and others) have rediscovered his body of work and I imagine the lyrics to have recieved their fair share of attention, both scholarly as well as popular. What sets Sting apart from the crowd is his genuine devotion to understanding Dowland with a set of modern, but respectful eyes. After all, the man is native to both punk and rock and though some of his critics call him overly intellectual and pretentious, in “Songs from The Labyrinth”, he makes up for any previous inconsistencies by proving true to the ideal of Dowland while never really straying from his own viewpoint as an individual performing artist. Quite simply, he has brought Downland into this age without sacrificing anything or “interpreting” his work to shambles, as is too often the case with revivals.

“Songs from the Labyrinth”, proves, to me at least, that cultures can in fact meet without the necessity for a bloody revolution. But it takes time, effort and humility on a level that few seem to be able to muster. From one source, apparently it took Sting 20 years to interpret some of “the refined melancholy” of Dowland. Could the most of us say the same about anything we’ve ever done?

Here’s a link to the solo lute works of John Downland, played by Jakob Lindberg via Robert von Bahrs truly wonderful B.I.S lable, on Spotify. And here’s Stings, “Songs from The Labyrinth”. Be sure not to miss the short interpretations Sting makes last on “Listening guide”. They will provide the listener with a few well put insights as to the music of that age. If you prefer your Dowland the classical way, with lyrics, here’s a place to start.

Oh, while at the subject of naming records, even if it indeed is sadly overdue: Sting’s collection of christmas songs, “If on a Winter’s Night”, from 2009 must probably be the best christmas album for the people that never wanted to own a christmas album and feel ill at the mere mention of “carols”. It makes no excuses for being “the music from a man that lives in a castle” (as one reviewer put it) – and rightly so. Refined melodies and a thoughtful selection of songs make it a gem for people who are just not that much into christmas. Here it is, on Spotify.

Finally, a sample of Dowlands lyrics, from: “My thoughts are Wing’d with Hopes”:

“And you my thoughts that some mistrust do carry,
If for mistrust my mistress do you blame,
Say though you alter, yet you do not vary,
And she doth change, and yet remain the same:
Distrust doth enter hearts, but not infect,
And love is sweetest season’d with suspect.”

Now, how many modern rocksongs have not been based on those same lines, over 300 years after these words were written?