Sting Plays Lute on TV

And… it’s on purpose. As ’80s rockers age, they’re getting mighty inventive. Sting, formerly of The Police and the man who wailed “Roxanne,” is out with an album of lute music that sounds, pretty much, like a cross between ’80s pop and the Renaissance – and he’s performing everywhere, from the Today Show to late night. Songs from the Labyrinth is out on Deutsche Grammophon – a hardcore classical label – and Sting is joined by Edin Karamazov, a bonafide lute virtuoso. What’s up with that? Sting singing Latin with his lute?

What’s next, Anonymous 4 singing bluegrass? Well, yes. The female quartet known for their a capella renditions of medieval music have teamed up with Darol Anger and Scott Nygaard for a tour roughly around Gloryland, the Harmonia Mundi CD the group recorded with Anger and Mike Marshall that concentrates on spirituals.

The strangest pairing I’ve heard about recently, though, may be Cindy Cashdollar and Rod Stewart. No, they’re not dating (although with Rod, anything is possible), but she is out on tour with him following the release of Still the Same today, a collection of (wait for it) classic rock hits of the mostly ’80s that obviously benefit from Cashdollar’s stellar steel guitar work.

So, who’s next? I have calls into Bono and Joshua Bell – they seem likely candidates.