The Soul Cages is the third full-length studio album by English musician Sting. It was released on January 21, 1991, and became Sting's second No. 1 album in the United Kingdom.

The album produced four singles: "All This Time," "Mad About You," "The Soul Cages," and "Why Should I Cry For You." Both "All This Time" and "Why Should I Cry For You" were included on Sting's 1994 compilation album Fields of Gold: The Best of Sting 1984–1994. "Mad About You" was also included on the international version of the compilation. The title track won the first Grammy Award for Best Rock Song in 1992. The Soul Cages was also mixed using QSound, a technology that creates 3D audio effects on stereo sound systems.

On January 15, 2021, an expanded version of The Soul Cages was released to celebrate its 30th anniversary. This version includes the original nine tracks plus 13 bonus tracks, which feature remixes, extended mixes, and two songs performed in Spanish and Italian.

Concept

The Soul Cages is a music album that explores the death of Sting’s father. After his father passed away in 1987, Sting struggled to write songs for several years. He eventually overcame this difficulty by creating music that helped him process his father’s death. Many songs on the album include themes related to sailing or the sea. Sting wrote in his book Broken Music that his father wished he had become a sailor. The album also includes references to Newcastle, the area of England where Sting grew up.

Because of his earlier difficulty writing songs, Sting did not have completed songs ready when he began recording. Unlike previous albums, he worked with his band members—Dominic Miller on guitar, Kenny Kirkland on keyboards, and Manu Katché on drums—to develop ideas in the studio. They spent two weeks rehearsing and then six weeks recording basic tracks at Studio Guillaume Tell in Paris. Later, they used the Le Voyageur II mobile studio in Villa Salviati, Italy, to add extra sounds and vocals.

In a 2010 interview with Charlie Rose, Sting discussed a new project called a “mood piece,” which would combine music and a book with writer Brian Yorkey. This work was inspired by an earlier album about his father’s death, his childhood in Newcastle, and the decline of the shipbuilding industry there. Sting admitted he felt nervous about completing the project but believed it could succeed. This project was later confirmed as the musical The Last Ship.

Release

At the time this album was released, the music industry mainly used CD longboxes for packaging in North America. The first shipments of the album were placed in a longbox that included a multi-panel Digipak. Between 200,000 and 300,000 copies of the album were sent in this package, which an A&M Records executive estimated cost the company "an additional $50,000 – $75,000."

Starting on 1 February 1991, A&M Records began using a new packaging design created by AGI Inc. called the Digitrak. This packaging was similar to the Digipak but protected the album with shrink wrap on the outside and two plastic tracks inside the paperboard panels. The National Recycling Coalition had studied this type of packaging as part of research on alternative options for the music industry. AGI could not begin using the Digitrak earlier than 1 February because of problems with manufacturing enough plastic tracks in time. Since Sting’s tour was starting that month, A&M Records chose not to delay the album’s release and used longbox packaging for the first shipment. Some music stores, like Music Plus, had planned not to sell the album if it had only been packaged in a jewel case.

In Belgium, Studio Brussel promoted the album by playing all ten tracks on its radio programs over five days and broadcasting an interview with Sting. The album’s cover art was painted by the Scottish artist Steven Campbell.

Until the release of Symphonicities in July 2010, The Soul Cages was the only studio album by Sting that did not include a photograph of himself on the front cover. However, Sting appears on the back cover of both albums.

Track listing

• "Island of Souls" – 6:41
• "All This Time" – 4:54
• "Mad About You" – 3:53
• "Jeremiah Blues (Part 1)" – 4:54
• "Why Should I Cry For You" – 4:46

• "Saint Agnes and the Burning Train" – 2:43
• "The Wild Wild Sea" – 6:41
• "The Soul Cages" – 5:51
• "When the Angels Fall" – 7:48 /

Personnel

• Sting – vocals, Synclavier, mandolin, bass, music arrangements
• Kenny Kirkland – keyboards
• David Sancious – keyboards
• Dominic Miller – guitars
• Manu Katché – drums
• Skip Burney – percussion
• Ray Cooper – percussion
• Munyungo Jackson – percussion
• Vinx De'Jon Parrette – percussion
• Bill Summers – percussion
• Tony Vacca – percussion
• Branford Marsalis – saxophones
• Paola Paparelle – oboe
• Kathryn Tickell – Northumbrian smallpipes

• Produced by Sting and Hugh Padgham; QSound production assisted by Brian Cowieson and Scott Willing
• Recorded and mixed by Hugh Padgham; Assisted by Simon Osbourne, Yves Jaget, Bruce Keene, Al Stone, Brian Scheuble, and Efren Herrera
• Technical assistant to Sting – Danny Quatrochi
• Mastered by Bob Ludwig
• Mixed at The Town House (London, England) and A&M Studios (Hollywood, California)
• Mastered at Masterdisk (New York City, New York)
• Design – Richard Frankel and Len Peltier
• Front cover painting and inside illustrations by Steven Campbell
• Photographs of Sting by Guzman
• All songs published by Magnetic Publishing, Ltd/Blue Turtle Music

Singles

• "All This Time" (1990) – Number 5 on the US Hot 100 chart, Number 1 on the US Mainstream Rock chart, Number 1 on the US Modern Rock chart, Number 9 on the US Adult Contemporary chart, Number 22 on the UK Singles Chart
• "Mad About You" (1991) – Number 56 on the UK Singles Chart
• "Why Should I Cry For You" (1991) – Number 32 on the US Mainstream Rock chart
• "The Soul Cages" (1991) – Number 7 on the US Mainstream Rock chart, Number 9 on the US Modern Rock chart, Number 57 on the UK Singles Chart