SC//Come Hear ft. Sade - Soldier Of Love (Sony Music 2010)

SADE - Soldier Of Love: ALBUM/ARTIST REVIEW
posted Thur. 4/29/10 at 8:55am
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!