After he found common ground between rock and reggae in The Police, Sting's solo career took him into softer, jazzier territory, pitting his finely sanded, enormously distinctive voice against undulating acoustic guitar, gentle synth-strings and quietly pulsing rhythms. Apart from the occasional detour into funk and soul, his best loved songs tend to be stately, contemplative affairs (the droll, dignified “Englishman in New York”; the wistful reflection of “Fields of Gold”). He also offers philosophical insight on life's bumpier moments, like the beautifully melancholy “Shape of My Heart”.