It ain’t no secret around here that I am a massive Sade fan, and if push came to shove (what the hell does that mean anyway?), I would probably say that they are my all-time favorite pop band. What I love most about them is that, like most great artists, Sade really doesn’t sound quite like anyone else. Their style once was jazz-infused pop songs that gave their exotically beautiful lead singer the prefect sound for her exquisite vocals. Throughout their second (Promise) and particularly their third (Stronger Than Pride) albums, though, that sound had been subtlety shifting more towards modern day R&B, slowly leaving their jazzy roots behind.
That cycle, however, became complete with the release of their fourth studio album, Love Deluxe in 1992. From start to finish, this baby is as smooth, slick, and soulful as it gets, and not only does it contain some of the group’s best moments, it possibly is the most commercial of their albums to date. Love Deluxe hops between sexed-up but somber love songs and a couple of socially-aware songs that oddly enough don’t sound a bit out of place, and I’m sure the reason for this is in the execution.
With Sade, it doesn’t matter whether the subject matter is bright and sunny or horribly macabre; the music rarely reflects the depths of either side of the emotional spectrum. That in itself is quite unusual, and although Sade Adu has what is unquestionably a lovely voice, she gives little away in her delivery either. So a serious song about the economic downturn (“Feel No Pain”) of the very early ‘90s and how it was harming everyday Americans comes off as a cool, breezy, and somewhat groovy funk song. The icy vocals are in complete contrast with the club-ready, slow-burning track. 
Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great song, but that is the way Sade do things. Others would go all out for a powerful, bombastic track to emphasize the point; Sade are the polar opposite, and that’s one of the reasons why I love ’em. Easily my favorite cut to be found here is the intoxicating “No Ordinary Love,” which is Adu’s lament of a one-sided love affair. Again, the track harbors a serious groove, but the underlying anger of love gone bad is represented with a subtle but powerful guitar riff that helps get the job done.
“I Couldn’t Love You More” continues the theme and is a nice change of pace from the two aforementioned songs. “Like A Tattoo” is one of the album’s sweetest spots, but lyrically it’s quite evasive and it leaves me not quite convinced of Adu’s mindset on this one. “Kiss Of Life,” however, leaves nothing to chance as it is the kind of simple but heartfelt love song that Sade is so good at producing.
The enchanting “Cherish The Day” follows and is one of the album’s finest moments as the guys offer a minimal but lush track for Adu to weave her tale of the ultimate love, all the while finally exploring her considerable vocal range. It sets the tone for the epic but subtle nature of “Pearls,” which is awash with beautiful strings and features one of Adu’s finest vocal performances ever. “Bullet Proof Soul” is as close as the boys (Stuart Matthewman, Paul Denman, and Andrew Hale) get to jazz here and it is all the better for it – a definite highlight.
The album closes with an instrumental piece called “Mermaid” that is perhaps a subtle reminder that Sade are in fact a group and not a solo act as they were all too often being written up as in the printed media at the time. It’s a cool way to end an album, especially one this heavy with emotion, and although they had done it with their previous album, it wouldn’t happen again, which I think is a shame because I have always enjoyed them.
Overall, Love Deluxe comes pretty close to Sade at their best, but in a three horse race with Diamond Life and Lovers Rock, it would be pipped at the post – falling in second place as it would be a dead-heat for first.
| I agree, you gotta love SADE. Why the minus on the A? |