Let's Rank All The Sade Albums!
If you know, you know. And I say that because I feel Sade has been such a recluse that the younger generation doesn’t know. 6 LPs in 40 years ain’t a lot, and it’s been 14 years this year since her last one.
But she might still be the GOAT when it comes to silky smooth jazzy sexy exquisiteness (I don’t even know if that’s a word) and actually I have to be careful not to use all the words I’ll want to use for her because there really aren’t enough. And remember it’s not just Sade Adu - Sade is a BAND. Absolutely. Let’s get straight to it.
6. Soldier Of Love (2010) Okay so something had to be last… I will say this is the one I’ve listened to the least - it just never made it into my regular rotation, and as I’m writing this I’m resolving in my head to give it some time since who knows when or if we’ll get another one. But it just seemed kind of….less interesting than the rest. Good background music and still quality performances even if the material seems a little samey - and it doesn’t groove enough. I don’t want to use the word “boring” (even though I guess I just did) because I think I could listen to Sade sing the phone book and not be “bored.” The clear highlight for me here is the title track with its soldier marching vibe. I promise this LP is still GOOD - my criticisms are just relatively speaking.
5. Lover’s Rock (2000) If this album suffers at all it’s simply because it had to follow the masterpiece Love Deluxe and it took 8 years to arrive. It would have been hard to match Love Deluxe for anyone but Lover’s Rock is still fantastic and it’s not like there’s a canyon between the two. The opener By My Side is pure beauty and the subtly percussive Somebody Already Stole My Heart is the centerpiece - best and longest track on the album (I’ve mentioned it before on this blog). But there are plenty of other winners here as well like Flow which has a great……flow - just a great groove. All About Our Love and the title track are both true delights too - perfect love songs.
4. Diamond Life (1984) The album that kicked it off with the monster opening hit Smooth Operator which is probably still her best known song. The first couple Sade LPs to me have more of a lounge/jazz vibe before the band moved into more R&B/Quiet Stormy vibes but it still all sounds like Sade and while Sade’s voice is at the center of it all it never sounds simply like a vehicle for her - in a good way. Diamond Life is front loaded with the three singles that all hit the charts including the lounge-y Your Love Is King (I remember being mesmerized watching her perform this at Live Aid), and Hang On To Your Love. The production has the slightest 80’s sheen to it to my ears but it’s not obnoxious and there are plenty of strong tracks throughout with Cherry Pie, and Why Can’t We Live Together being a couple more highlights.
3. Promise (1985) The follow up sophomore album came out only 18 months after Diamond Life and the intervals would only get longer from here, but Promise doesn’t suffer for it. It starts strong right out of the gate with a horn section and great dynamics with a big build up only to clear the air for Sade to chime in with the opening line “This may come…..this may come as some surprise - but I miss you….” on the single Is It A Crime? But then the cool rhythms of the huge hit The Sweetest Taboo kick in and we’re jamming like we hadn’t quite done on the prior LP. The 3rd single Never As Good As The First Time is also nice and funky. But here’s a curve ball: I have this album in my iTunes from the cassette I ripped about 15 years ago which would have been originally recorded from vinyl (Cassette #211 from when I used to number them all back in the day just fyi) and I guess I never replaced it with a download from Apple Music. Well in poking around the web for this piece I JUST learned that there are two tracks on this album that “weren’t included on the LP version” according to Wikipedia. The 4th track You’re Not The Man and the 7th track Punch Drunk. Like…….HUH???? Not b-sides, not bonus tracks - just….not included on the vinyl? I’ve been cheated. And as if to rub salt in the wound this is straight from the review of the album on Apple Music - this is unfolding in real time for me as I’m typing this: “Where Diamond Life focused on Sade’s patented brand of taut, stealthy funk, Promise is more of a smoky jazz outing. “Punch Drunk” and “You’re Not the Man” come close to traditional nightclub jazz. Bolstered by double bass and wandering piano, these songs give Sade the opportunity to play the nightclub chanteuse.” So….I guess I didn’t know this album as well as I thought? I’m listening to them now… Not to mention their take on Diamond Life is kind of the opposite of how I think of it. Lol - well guess what, this is Doug’s Music SNOBBERY so they’re wrong. Hehe…
2. Stronger Than Pride (1988) I see the 6 Sade albums as a bit of a bell curve with LPs 3 & 4 as the peak of the curve and Stronger Than Pride is one of those two gems in the middle. Stronger Than Pride is the more groovy and immediate of the two and in some ways you could make the case for it being a slightly better listen front to back than Love Deluxe so I won’t argue if this is your fave. It’s a really tough call but I still put it firmly at #2. The title of the album sounds like it’s about strength, and yet the track the title borrows from is actually Love Is Stronger Than Pride which puts Sade’s vulnerability on display saying “But I can’t hate you….although I have tried. I still really really love you….love is stronger than pride” and that’s part of what makes us love HER. But of course as I’ve mentioned it’s not just Sade Adu that is worth loving here as the band kicks into the groove of Paradise. Oh man…. such a classic - it’s impossible not to move to this one and the funk keeps coming with the next track Nothing Can Come Between Us. Turn My Back On You is a banger as well, but the real sleeper here for me is Keep Looking - this is a JAM man. I don’t even really know why either it’s just the one that really hits for me. I love the lyric and her delivery of “They enjoy cheapness, don’t show your weakness - don’t let them bother you, no.” And then there’s the closing instrumental Siempre Hay Esperanza which is the best Sade instrumental in my opinion. A great nighttime-cruising-around-downtown tune.
1. Love Deluxe (1992) I mean…. what do you say about Love Deluxe? Sade the band and Sade the vocalist at the height of their collective powers. Sade the chanteuse, the siren, with her whispering coo that beckons and soothes your soul. This is the peak and while it’s impossible to actually pick the proverbial 10 desert island LPs you’d choose to be stranded with, this would have to be a candidate for me. This is No Ordinary Love indeed which you find out immediately (as if the otherworldly cover wasn’t a clue already). The way she uses her instrument at this point in her career is more nuanced and more understated to my ears than the first couple albums where she was intent on showing off more of her range (and that was impressive don’t get me wrong - Sade can do it all). She’s really in command here, and the batch of songs are so good. The highlight and maybe my favorite Sade song of all time is the spare and atmospheric jam Cherish The Day. The band really stretches out on this one - plenty of improvisational tasty licks from Stuart Matthewman floating above and then a little wah wah towards the end, Paul Denman’s bass kicking in at the 1:40 mark that takes the song to a next level and the ambient keys from Andrew Hale with that fantastic drum track. Oh yeah…. Oh and that VIDEO of her on the rooftop? And then you should watch this 2011 live performance too……chills. She’s mesmerizing. Okay let’s get back to the album because there are other incredible songs here such as I Couldn’t Love You More. That little badoobadoooo lalala scat thing she does…. oh man. I dig her storytelling here too on songs like the kick ass jam Feel No Pain, the acoustic Like A Tatoo, and the aching tale Pearls. The love songs are the highlights but these others give the album more depth. Kiss of Life is the most beautiful track - just makes you feel so warm and it’s impossible not to smile when it comes on - THE perfect love song if there ever was one. The album closes with Bullet Proof Soul and the instrumental Mermaid - a great soothing double shot to close out one of the best trips in the history of popular music. Yes. What I wouldn’t give for another one like it…
M10 Social is owned by Doug Cohen in West Bloomfield, MI and provides social media training and digital marketing services from the Frameable Faces Photography studio Doug owns with his wife Ally. He can be reached there at tel:248-790-7317, by mobile at tel:248-346-4121 or via email at mailto:doug@frameablefaces.com. You can follow Doug’s band Vintage Playboy at their Facebook page here. You can also visit our other business Detroit Jerky at the website www.DetroitJerkyLLC.com!
******************************************************************************************
Tune in to the 📷Doug&Ally📷Morning Show T-F between 8:30 & 11 EST UTC-4 on Heckle by following them on Heckle or Twitter at @frameablefaces! Also check out the Doug & Ally Morning Show podcast at anchor.fm/frameablefaces and everywhere you listen to podcasts! Doug also tweets at @dougcohen10 and @M10Social!