Sting is back with a new album, a single and of course his Las Vegas residency.

The album of new songs is called “The Bridge,” and it appears on November 19th. The single is “If It’s Love,” and it’s a winner.

Sting wrote a lot of the new album beginning in early 2020 when he was performing his Broadway show, “The Last Ship,” on tour. When the show was anchored in Toronto for six weeks, he built a little recording studio into his digs backstage and started writing. Earlier this year, he was in the Bahamas recording the songs. Between the pandemic, and loss of his best friend and touring manager Billy Francis, Sting has a lot to write about.

What a pleasure to hear new songs from him. You may recall Paul McCartney citing Sting’s “Fields of Gold” as the best song he himself never wrote. And “Every Breath You Take” recently became BMI’s most played song ever, eclipsing “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling.”

Sting — who had a whole “Jeopardy!” category named for him last spring —  hits Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas on October 29th for the first part of his Vegas residency, and it’s just about sold out. The run is named “My Songs,” and it’s all his hits from The Police and his amazing solo career. Finally, some music to look forward to!

Yes, kids, everything old is new again.

Today’s Page Six has a story about Paul Anka and how he was ripped off by Michael Jackson for the song, “This is It.”

But here’s the real story and the original interview– done my me– in 2009.

The thing Jackson fans don’t like to hear about Michael is that he was sneaky, and lied a lot. He was willful. He was taught all this by his father. He broke agreements all the time, stole tapes from studios and held them for ransom, and so on. Does it make him a bad person? You can decide for yourselves.

In many ways, Michael was a musical genius. But he also depended on collaborators like Quincy Jones and all the songwriters who wrote his hits either on their own or with him. Michael knew a hit when he heard one. In the case of the Anka songs, he tried to get away with a few things. But read the story above.

In any case, Anka made a lot of money from the uncovering of the Jackson songs and tapes. So he can’t really complain. And he’s Paul Anka, for god’s sake, he wrote “My Way” for Frank Sinatra and the “Tonight Show” theme song for Johnny Carson. But he also wrote the worst Top 40 song of all time, “Having My Baby.” C’est la vie!

You may remember “Donda,” the Kanye West album that has never been released. There’s a third listening event for it this week, this time in Chicago. And then? Is it finished? Will it drop?

No one knows, and it’s hard to say if anyone cares at this point.

Meantime, Sean Combs, aka Puff Daddy, aka Diddy, and now aka LOVE, I’m told is working day and night on an album set for release on September 24th. It’s called “Off the Grid” and will be an R&B album.

Combs is the current cover subject on the September Vanity Fair but the article makes no mention of “Off the Grid.” I’m told several producers are involved including Mario Winans, who had a big hit with Puffy back in 2004 on “I Don’t Wanna Know.”

Puffy wound up making his money in other businesses than the music business, like with Ciroc Vodka. But he knows a hit. His biggest one was turning Sting’s Police hit “Every Breath You Take” into “I’ll Be Missing You.” Of course, Sting pocketed all the publishing royalties. What if Puffy comes up with something like that again?

And unlike Kanye, Combs is actually sticking to his release date. That album is coming. If Combs beats West to the punch, that will be a story. If I know Sean Combs, he’s going to do it.

Charlie Watts had the longest marriage, lived the best life, and was the standard bearer for The Rolling Stones. He has died at age 80. The rock world mourns the loss.

Bernard Doherty, Charlie’s PR guy, said Tuesday that Watts “passed away peacefully in a London hospital earlier today surrounded by his family.”

Doherty said: “Charlie was a cherished husband, father and grandfather and also as a member of The Rolling Stones one of the greatest drummers of his generation.”

Watts had pulled out of the Stones next tour after having a surgical procedure. He said on Twitter that he felt his timing was off, but expected to recover from whatever was ailing him.

Steve Jordan is replacing him as the Stones’ drummer but no one can really ever replace him. Charlie was the heart and soul of the Stones. With his exit, we are down to two original members, Mick and Keith.

Charlie married Shirley Ann Shepherd in 1964. They have a daughter, a grandaughter, and a step-grandson. They lived a grand life, but he was never like the other Stones. Watts was a family man, and a serious musician. What a shame.

Steve van Zandt Tweeted: “Oh no! This is terribly shocking. Not just one of greatest drummers in one of the greatest bands of all time, but a gentleman’s gentleman. He singlehandedly brought the Rock world some real class. Rock and Roll will miss him profoundly. We are significantly less without him.”

#God bless Charlie Watts we’re going to miss you man peace and love to the family Ringo 😎✌️🌟❤️🌈🎶☮️ pic.twitter.com/3tSFg7EMQG

— #RingoStarr (@ringostarrmusic) August 24, 2021

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