Diamond Life

by Sade

Overview

When Sade released Diamond Life in their native U.K., they were already a kind of sensation. The band had scored hits with their first singles, the smoldering Top Ten ballad "Your Love Is King" and the perseverant soul anthem "When Am I Going to Make a Living," both of which only faintly resembled anything else on the chart. Magazines such as The Face and Smash Hits had published cover features, intensifying anticipation for the album. Diamond Life not only distanced Sade farther outside any context in which they were placed, whether it was the sulking sophisti-pop fraternity or the increasingly mechanized realm of contemporary R&B, but also fulfilled the promise of the singles that preceded it. Rhythms that sensitively ripple and pulse at their most active, topped with deceptively cool vocals from Sade Adu -- all coated with a luster -- have a way of obscuring the depth of the material to casual listeners. "Smooth Operator," the first in a series of sketches about various characters, regards a jet-setting playboy who leaves his conquests as amnesiacs and (much like the band) "moves in space with minimal waste." Elsewhere is the turnabout tale "Frankie's First Affair," where Adu's disappointment with the protagonist verges on anguish, and the grim "Sally," a nickname/metaphor for the Salvation Army, sheltering broken men ruined by addiction and poverty. Adu breaks from third-person narratives with "Cherry Pie," lamenting the loss of a lover who was "as wild as Friday night." When Adu belts "You broke my heart!" it's but one of many lines expressed with enough purpose and force to invalidate the belief that she is an aloof performer. A sinewy and compatible cover of Timmy Thomas' 1972 hit "Why Can't We Live Together" affirms that Sade are indeed soul aesthetes concerned with more than creating a mood and projecting glamour. ~ Andy Kellman

Product Details

Release Date:	06/21/2024
Label:	Sony Legacy
UPC:	0196587848019
Rank:	116443

Tracks

1. Smooth Operator
2. Your Love Is King
3. Hang On to Your Love
4. Frankie's First Affair
5. When Am I Going to Make a Living
6. Cherry Pie
7. Sally
8. I Will Be Your Friend
9. Why Can't We Live Together

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Sade   Primary Artist
Paul S. Denman   Guitar (Bass),Bass
Andrew Hale   Keyboards
Martin Ditcham   Percussion
Stuart Matthewman   Guitar,Saxophone
Sade Adu   Vocals
Dave Early   Drums,Percussion
Terry Bailey   Trumpet
Gordon Matthewman   Trumpet
Paul Cooke   Drums

Technical Credits

Helen Adu   Composer
Andrew Hale   Composer
Ben Rogan   Engineer
Sade   Performer
Robin Millar   Producer
Mike Pela   Production Engineer
Stuart Matthewman   Composer
Timmy Thomas   Composer
Sade Adu   Composer
Tom Coyne   Remastering
Gordon Matthewman   Composer
Graham Smith   Design,Artwork,Sleeve Design
Chris Roberts   Photography
Raymond St. John   Composer
Paul S. Denman   Composer