Soldier of Love

After almost a decade of absence - 25 years into her career - the elegant soul /jazz siren is back with "Soldier Of Love".
The new album sees Sade reunited with the same musicians (Stuart Matthewman, Paul Denman and Andrew Hale) who performed on her 1984 debut "Diamond Life", which became the classic yuppie dinner party soundtrack. It catapulted her to the forefront of the 1980s soul jazz scene and spawned the singles "Smooth Operator" and "Your Love is King".
But despite the success of "Diamond Life" and her follow-up albums - selling a total of 50m records worldwide - Sade has shunned the limelight and has lived in "self-exile", including stints in Spain and Jamaica.
Now 50, she remains one of the most iconic female vocalists alive - partly because of the stylish image she fostered in the fashion-conscious Eighties.
The title song is the least Sade-like track here - with its metallic, shiny, marching band-style drum beats not far from trip hop/Tricky territory, it's the toughest-sounding thing she's ever done, though the lyric posits the idea of the relationship as battleground.
The track is a bit of a revelation - a rich, atmospheric pop symphony with, as the title suggests, a military theme. What's impressive is how fully-realised that theme is, from the marching band percussion to the cadence call-style hooks, the guitar riffs that ape the sound of gunfire to Sade crooning lines like "I've lost the use of my heart".
The remaining nine tracks can't quite match it for shock value.
They glide by elegantly, registering subtle variations.
My highligts: "Baby Father", a gentle reggae-tinged confection apparently extolling the constancy of paternal love. It's in marked contrast to the wounded bittersweetness and the overall melancholy of the remainder of the tracklist: the feel-good beat will have you shaking your booty.
It all gets a little too cosy on "In Another Time", a waltz-time slog where a saxophone and string quartet provide an orchestral extravaganza. Pure magic.
"Be That Easy": Sade's soaring hypnotic voice leaves listeners in a zombie-like trance.
As usual, the album is immaculately produced, and Sade oozes class and sophistication, although seemingly offering variations on a single theme. Recorded at Peter Gabriel's Real World studio, this album "illustrates the dilemma of the long-term artist: whether to alienate fans with a radical departure or risk the charge of repetition". - Paul Lester
All in all, it's a pleasant and sonic balm, which will make her fans immensely happy, even if there's nothing quite adventurous, rare, powerful and intelligently written as the title track may imply and suggest.
Enjoy!
The album debuts at # 1 of the Billboard Top 200 Albums and at # 1 of the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and at # 1 of the Billboard Top Canadian Albums.
Issue date: February 27, 2010

In a day and age when you turn on the radio and hear some of the most untalented people you've never heard of, it is so refreshing to hear some real music. This is what Sade does. They always give real music. The songs are slow, yes, but they all have a story behind them. This is nice and mellow music. The songs are wonderful. "In Another Time" is gorgeous. I love that song. Same with "The Moon and the Sky". " Skin" is a good track with a nice groove and a nice MJ reference in it. If you are a Sade fan, this is a good CD. If you are new to Sade, this is still a good CD. Try it and you will see. Plus Sade's voice is still as exotic and sexy as ever.

One of my favorite artist ever and so I expect alot. If this wasnt Sade, I would rate this album 2 stars. A couple quality songs, however, whats up with the drum machine? In addition, way too many harmonies. Her voice is still too good to have someone else tainting it in the background. Gone are the days that you grab your chick, put her new album in, and simply press play. This album would be acceptable if the 10 year absence was only a 2 year one.

Maybe it's the lack of musicality and depth in today's music that makes this album see light years ahead of anything released recently. I will admit to being a life long fan, but I don't believe you can question what Sade brings to the music world.

I've listened to this release in it's entirety since it was available.. played it in the car, in the Ipod and on the home theater to make sure I heard everything that could be heard. And I can say confidently that this another in a long series of great music. It's not Diamond Life or Lovers Rock, but it can't be - this is Sade after nearly 30 years of making music on their terms. And I think that's the key - how many artists in today's music scene can tell their label - You'll get the music when I'm ready to give it to you.

I think the other thing to note here, in most of the reviews this album is being compared to their other albums. Which could suggest that they have very few peers - we are comparing Sade to Sade. Each of the albums sticks out for a specific reason, you were going through something and that album was a comfort during that time. So judging Soldier of Love against Pride or Love Deluxe almost seems a waste. You have to take this album in this space today...

Now for the album

The album flows well, each song into the next. You can press play and walk away, no need to skip songs or pick and choose. Immediate standouts are "Moon & the Sky", "Be that easy", "Morning Bird".

"In Another time" in my opinion is one of the best arrangements I've heard since "Is it a Crime". The vocals, the melody - the placement of the piano, the strings along with the sax and bass build this song in a way - that most artists would want to study. This is what music is supposed to sound like. And the lyrics - she could be singing to any of the young and upcoming R&B singers, explaining how in time - it will fall in place. There are a few songs that require a patient ear, but that's good - if you've ever listened to Coltrane you know that patience is usually rewarded in a major way.

The title track is brilliant in the same way "Cherish" or "Flow" were brilliant. You can hear the band expirementing in sounds that aren't typical for them and yet it comes off almost effortless. I won't bother to compare this album to any other albums released by R&B singers recently ( if Anita Baker decides to release an album than we can compare ) - it does no one any justice, but it does highlight what is missing... music that's made for the express purpose of being good and a pleasure to hear. Not to satisfy contractual obligations or build a big enough buzz to get endorsement deals.

You could be disappointed in this ablum, but that would likely mean that you had a specific sound in your head and were thrown when you didn't hear it. I'm convinced this album will continue in the same tradition as her entire catalogue, it will go on for decades bringing smiles and tears to millions of folks. And isn't that what we expect from our music?

I have been looking forward to this release for a long time now and it was worth the wait. Sade has come along way in her song writing abilities and it shows on each new release. While some may prefer some of her earlier work because its a bit more 'catchy', it now sometimes sounds a bit artificial/synthetic in style and arrangement compared to her recent releases. Her lyrics in her last two albums have a deeper message in my opinion. As for the music, I love how this lady can incorporate DEEP bass into her music - no one does it better in my opinion. This album may not appeal for those fans still stuck in the past but Soldier Of Love is still a five star album.

So glad to see another release from Sade...hard to believe that I have new music by her on my ipod after 10 years. After Lovers Rock I was hoping her next album would shy away from the heavy handed percussive 'time keeping' that ran through many of the tracks. That said my favorite Sade songs deal with love, such as 'Stronger Than Pride' and 'Like A Tattoo' so I was also hoping for a few slow burn ballads about love and heartache. The production on this album is much lighter here and "In Another Time' is wonderful there is even some great sax work and the album ends with 'The Safest Place' which will remind you of 'Pearls'-- my only criticism would be the lyrics--sometimes they dont reveal as much as you would like them to and that this is not the romantic follow up to Love Deluxe that I have waited for, but still enjoyable and I am happy that we finally have new music.

I love every song on this disc. Sade is not afraid to sing about the pain of love, and on this disc she really went way out there. It's interesting to read the two star reviews. People are scared to even hear the truth in songs these days. We are so cought up in technology that we are loosing our simple understanding of human feeling and emotion. These are not songs of desperation, but, rather, they are about hanging in there and believing in love. This is a beautiful set. And, how many people have written songs about the beauty of fatherhood (even in a failed relationship)? That's unheard of. Sade is a heavy hitter. To the two star folk, don't be scared. Come back when you get the courage. You'll be fine.

The space and time between this and Sade's previous album Lovers Rock the world changed in the most unexpected of ways. As with much of life the music world has come into something of a standstill,especially when it comes to the R&B world. It's come to the point where,at least in my case where I find myself on mission trying to find significant elements in music probably more created to sell than inspire. Well I don't mind-it's a worthy mission that sometimes unearths hidden intentions sometimes. But it's also a big relief to be able to tell people that an album is just really a good choice for music lovers. True this is an album I've been anticipating long before I knew it was coming out. That aside this album not only matched my expectations but in a lot of ways exceeded it. Sade has been known for a timeless sound as the Amazon.com review implied and that in a word is one of the reasons I was so looking forward to this. The title song of this album was an early reason for peaking my interest. It's a darly romantic slice of Sade style smooth funk that has a little more drama with it's use of some orchestral fanfares and the like and contains perfect metaphores for the themes of this album. Not only is Sade herself "in the wild,wild west doing her best" (this isn't the first time that's been said of course) but also "lost the use of her heart but is still alive". Not only does that show the bands musically and lyrically poetic flavors have not in any way abandoned them but also that their aware of how much contemporary life and thinking has effected music around them as well. There is a similar flavor on "The Moon In The Sky","Long Hard Road","Bring Me Home" and "Skin". The music on these songs is by no means as stripped down as what was on the previous album but the condundrum of worldweary romanticism has been stepped up a notch here and it goes well with the times it's recorded in.. "Babyfather" is another great example of that-a very bright caribbean flavored groove is married to a lyrical reflection on paternity. "Be That Easy" and "In Another Time" have a musical styling fairly new to Sade;an extention on American country/gospel style ballad that doesn't bare a resemblence to the jazzier styles that they've been known for and that are here as well on "Morning Bird" and "The Safest Place". The latter song again extends on the theme of the title song;an adult outlook on life and romance comparing the concepts with mature age to seeking safety during battle. Sade albums have the distinction of being both funky to a high degree and very pensive. That mixture could be very cold in the wrong hands but somehow this ends up being a band that have been able to channel that concept into a sound that's both sensual and relaxing. And if I may say so it's good to hear new music from them again.

This is an excellent piece of work, so far my favorite is "The Moon and Sky." Listen to these tracks in the following order and you get a short story, Long Hard Road, Bring Me Home, The Safest Place, and Soldier of Love. Sade, Andrew, Stuart, and Paul have presented the world with beautiful music and poetic lyrics that touch the soul.

The first CD that I purchased in more than 2 years. I wanted the CD, instead of MP3s, for its sound quality. I am glad that I did. Like all Sade's albums, with each listen, you can find some more subtle textures and nuances. Clean and elegant productions. It does not wear off after repeated listening.