I've had the album for a few weeks but went and picked it up in the stores yesterday.

Vendetta1 said:

Oh. We all do that shit!

^

Whew...what a relief. You had me on the edge of my seat.

Another review:



Soldier of Love A Masterpiece

Feb 19, 2010


Ten years is a long time between albums. Soldier of Love was worth the wait. Helen Folasade Adu (known as Sade) has been living her life out of the public eye since completing a tour in 2000 to support her album, Lover Rocks. Prior to that tour, there had been an eight-year gap. Two albums in 18 years would spell career suicide for most artists, but these reclusive tendencies make her music even more valuable when it does finally surface.


In a recent interview, Sade said "it's not an easy job making an album. You have certain rules and limitations and terrain that you can operate within."

Sade's voice maintains a sublime nobility that is unaffected by the trends of current popular music. In an era of Idol

wannabes, Beyonce acrobatics and Lady Gaga spectacles, Sade's pure alto delivery gives her music an honesty and sincerity that is sorely lacking in the ego-fueled pop trash that dominates today's music scene.

The music tracks that support these evocative yet understated vocals are sparse and tasteful, yet entirely vital and dynamic.

The Moon and the Sky opens the album with a Spanish guitar, synth textures and a hip hop beat. The contrast between the organic sound of the guitar and the synthetic sounds of keyboard and drum loops give the song depth and colour.

Morning Bird opens with the heartbreakingly simple line "How could you?" above long piano chords, rippling tambourine and shivers of cello.

In Another Time is built upon the 6/8 pattern of soda-shop pop like the songs of Neil Sedaka. Even with the familiar chord progression and punctuating saxophone, the song sounds simultaneously retrospective and fresh.

The title track has predictable military drum beats over a hip hop loop, but somehow they avoid sounding cliché. The electric guitar is fragmented and surgical, giving the song gaps and space.

Skin is a beautiful reference to peeling away an old lover like emotional exfoliation.

I love Sade's album. Real class, true artist, very original, real music.

Sade has such a distinctive quality in her voice, that makes her style her own and can't be duplicated by any other artist. The music behind her voice is captivating. I can't find a track on her cd that I dislike. "The Moon and the Sky" track, is absolutely beautiful. I embrace her style which was missed, in the music industry, which is pretty much overwhelmed with manufactured, talentless, plastic BS. Thank goodness for Sade.

2elijah said:

I hope The Moon and the Sky is the next single. I adore Baby Father too.

'Soldier of Love' Maintains Its # 1 Status
February 24, 2010


http://music-mix.ew.com/2...ums-chart/

Identity said:

Elixer is as good as this cd. In fact, it may be better.

Graycap23 said:

I agree... infact I like Elixer better because it is "romantic" whereas "Soldier" is sad love affairs.

Graycap23 said:

Sade has been there and done that. Listen to the opening line of Soldier of love. "I've lost the use of my heart; but I'm still alive" Its what you would expect from a woman over 50 who has seen the darker side of love as well as the brighter. As an artist, it expresses where she is and it gives people an insight into who she is and where she is in her life at this time, much in the way that Prince's religious ramblings does with him. I wouldn't expect Prince to be singing "Jack U Off" given where he is in his life at this point, so why should he get an "artist pass" and Sade not? She is where she is in her life and her songs reflect that. Sade has given us far greater "romantic" songs than Prince can come up with for his imitation, which really isn't anything other than another vehicle for him anyway. Stewart Matthewman may not be Prince but Prince is no Stewart Matthewman, either. Prince is excellent at crafting a song but he has never been a great producer. He stamps other artists with his sound. Elixer is just another example of that. Sade is a real artist, not one of his protogeés and he didn't even come close to reproducing anything near her work with Elixer.
You guys probably like it better because its a Prince record with a Prince sound and if you listen to a lot of Prince, there is a comfort zone that it falls within sonically that you are already acclimated to.
Oh, and Soldier Of Love is obviously not supposed to be a romantic record.

I really wanted to love this album, but I don't. It has some decent songs, especially in the first half, but there's nothing spectacular on there, and there are a few tracks that I actually dislike. Oh well.

I saw Sade live in the early Aughties. The thing I remember most (other than it being the most expensive concert ticket I had ever purchased) was the audience being absolutely enthralled with her. The audience was a real cross section, from hipsters to real jazz/R&B fans to old couples. All Sade had to do to provoke thunderous, and I mean drown-out-the-amps torrential applause was to turn her back to the audience and undulate her bottom ever so slightly. I have never seen a woman try so little, create such a quiet/loud storm, and make so many grownups get all squealy. Truly memorable.

JackieBlue said:

These pics of her are sooooo gorgeous! Love the guitar over her back.

Soldier Of Love is the best album I've heard in a very long time; just exquisite.

Soldier Of Love sold 31,000 this week, and passes the million sales mark.

TV appearance:

Sade will perform live April 12th on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.