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Sade
official website
Track List:
1. By Your Side
2. Flow
3. King Of Sorrow
4. Somebody Already Broke My Heart
5. All About Our Love
6. Slave Song
7. Sweetest Gift, The
8. Every Word
9. Immigrant
10. Lovers Rock
11. It's Only Love That Gets You Through
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Sade - Lovers Rock
(Epic)
If it takes another 8 years for Sade to release her next album, so be it. She does her thing, and does it well. After making fans wait nearly a decade, the smooth operator returns with Lovers Rock, 11 tracks of sublime, silk-coated soul candy. While mellower in many respects than her last effort— Love Deluxe—Sade's latest project showcases an artist who has grown, not necessarily through musical experimentation, but by refining her sound and broadening her outlook on life.
Despite its name, Lovers Rock is not just about love songs (although it is certainly deep in good ones to accompany the requisite glass of wine); it reveals Sade's expanding social vocabulary, as well. The conspicuously titled "Slave Song" is a powerful dub meditation, dedicated to the inheritors of an ageless tragedy; and "Immigrant" makes a subtle plea for empathy, framed by the band's typically sparse energy. (Curiously, both songs use prayer-like chanting to effectively get their messages across.) On the other hand, "By Your Side," the album's opening track and first single, is classic Sade and is destined to be a favorite among fans; its soothing acoustic guitar and gospel-organ soaked bridge can be listened to again and again. Also particularly strong are Sade's haunting multi-layered vocals and Paul Denman's melodic bass lines on "Flow," Lovers Rock's second cut.
Sade has found her niche. Here's hoping she never deserts it for so-called "artistic higher ground." Lovers Rock continues the singer's pattern of making music that feeds the soul. Building upon her strengths, the Nigerian-born artist has taken a step forward lyrically, challenging her listeners as she comforts them. Utilizing Sade's super-smooth voice and melodies, perfect harmonies, and rich musical coloring, Lovers Rock enhances almost any mood. The record's bluesy lyrics nicely fit those dreary days; its sweet chord progressions make you wanna love somebody; and its soft textures allow the mind to wander aimlessly through space. What more could you ask for from a Sade album?
by Paul Rosner
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