Sting wrote the album "in a year of global pandemic, personal loss, separation, disruption, lockdown and extraordinary social and political turmoil".

Lakshmi Govindrajan Javeri of Firstpost wrote "Sting's new release The Bridge has a strong pop-rock vibe that defined his Police and early solo years, but some of its best songs have Celtic and jazz influences.

"[6] Mark Kennedy of the Associated Press wrote "The Bridge is a moody and varied collection in an unmoored time, with nods to Scripture, ancient allegories, and malevolent characters.

"[7] Fiona Shepherd of The Scotsman wrote "Sting is also in sprightly mood on The Bridge, whistling along on the blithe single If It's Love, as decent a pop tune as he has produced in some time.

This lockdown production nods to his diverse musical tastes, from mellow roots track The Book of Numbers with its plangent bass twang to the slick soaring saxophone (from Branford Marsalis no less) on Harmony Road to the fiddle flourish of Captain Bateman, which is revisited as a jazzy scat bonus track called Captain Bateman’s Basement.