Sade | Soldier Of Love

Sade | Soldier of Love By Peggy Oliver

There are several fascinating storylines when it comes to Sade‘s career. They first started recording twenty-five years ago making a huge splash internationally with their creamy smooth jazz/R&B hybrid on the strength of only five albums. Within those five albums came hit after hit in rapid fire succession. From“Your Love Is King,” to “By Your Side,” Nigerian born Sade Adu and musicians Stuart Colin Mathewman, Paul Spencer Denman and Andrew Hale have crafted pop masterpieces with a mellow jazz twist and understated funk attitude. Very impressive considering this same group once started under the name Pride who played primarily Latin funk. Adu was originally turned down when she applied as a backup vocalist. Once Pride’s audiences heard more of Adu, who occasionally was spotlighted singing her own material, they promoted the then fashion designer into the lead spot. Who would have thought Adu who lacked music performance experience could change the band’s professional lives. When all was said and done, Pride eventually disbanded and the band revamped under the moniker of Sade in 1982 (which is actually derived from Adu’s middle name Folasade). The band name change was inspired because Adu was loyal about remaining with her band mates despite talent scouts insisting on Adu as a solo act after hearing the soon-to-be future smash hit “Smooth Operator.”

Thanks to some friends who engaged Adu to sing in their vocal group, fans may have never heard her calming alto voice. The U.K-based singer/songwriter was pursuing a fashion design career never intending for music to enter her life, even though she was an avid fan of soul & R&B music out from America, especially from the seventies (i.e. The Jackson Five & Curtis Mayfield). Once Sade started to skyrocket, Adu was more comfortable playing music onstage as opposed to the promotion process of interviews and filming videos while always aiming to keep her personal life under wraps as much as possible.

Everyone can vouch for Sade’s consistency on the charts. Diamond Life, Promise, Stronger Than Pride, Love Deluxe and Lovers Rock all reached the Billboard top ten in the U.S. and the top twenty in the U.K. Yet even with a strong track record, very few artists can come back like gangbusters after long hiatuses. In fact, there was an eight-year gap between Love Deluxe and Lovers Rock. However because of their solidified reputation in the industry, Sade can afford to dictate their own record release schedule. Ten years after Lovers Rock, Soldier of Love proves Adu and company find ways to reinvent themselves. To this day, Adu convincingly feeds off her absorbing lyrics even with a somewhat limited range. On Soldier of Love,the lyrics are a bit introspective than usual on most tracks reflecting Adu’s growth in her personal life over those ten years.

The title track (heard on trailers of the TV show, Lost)strays from the usually softer textures on such signature hits as “Smooth Operator” and “Nothing Can Come Between Us.” Driven by march like rhythms, distorted guitar fills and reggae-edged harmonies on the song’s hooks, I was forever hooked. The ambient orchestrations of subtle percussion and strings framing the glossy piano melodies accentuate “Morning Bird.” As the song progresses, Adu’s sense of urgency searches for some peace of mind: “Nothing’s quite how it seems, The ghost of my joy won’t set me free.” Another reggae-flavored track, “Babyfather,” loudly celebrates Adu’s commitment as a mother, and is the first song in which Adu is joined with her teenage daughter, Ila. A song that could fit either a blues or country format, “Be That Easy,”talks about love conquering all despite the resonating pain: “Now it’s easy for me to see, It couldn’t be that easy, It had to be much harder.” Besides the ground-breaking tracks, there is vintage Sade as well. “In Another Time,” a song that encourages women to persevere through difficult relationships, echoes Adu’s affection for that seventies soul vibe.

Give credit where it is due to Mathewman, Denman and Hale for their musical flexibility on Soldier of Love. After all these years as Adu’s musical associates, they clearly are attuned to her vocal qualities. Overall, I can clearly state Soldier of Love is their finest work to date because of their artistry and Adu’s songwriting growth. What I can not predict is when Adu feels inspired deep down in her soul to release another album. Yet, Adu and her musical companions fascinating musical history will always be a story worth retelling.

Peggy Oliver
The Urban Music Scene