Sade's Soldier of Love - A Musician's Review

After a 9 year hiatus, Sade, the famous one-namethough pared down, is thick with bass guitar and
neo-soul Jazz singer, on February 9, 2010 released herdrums. As a matter of fact, fans are calling the hit
new CD, Soldier of Love. While Sade has said thatsingle, Soldier of Love, primarily a drum and bass song.
she wants to always try something different, this newBut with their foreboding insistence, the drums and
CD is very close in style and theme to her priorbass make a wonderful cushion for Sade's aggressive
release, Lover's Rock.call to war for lovers.
The majority of songs on Soldier of Love continue toMorning Bird with it's piano adagio is the most haunting
eke out all the pain from Sade's main themes, whichsong on the CD and continues Sade's affair with pain,
are often about love found with sorrow, and love lostchains, and passion. The high piercing cries of the
with even greater sorrow. Even though it may bemelody reinforce the title, Morning Bird. Long Hard
more of the same, for those of us who love Sade,Road suggests that no matter how long the road,
that's fine. Her fans have heaped overwhelming praiseeverything will be alright. The sad and somewhat slow
on Soldier of Love and it is perched firmly at the top ofloping music suggest otherwise.
Billboard's Euro Charts.Be That Easy, could be an homage to Nora Jones
It's been almost 10 years since her last CD release,with it's easy country waltz flavor. Babyfather, with it's
Lover's Rock, and another ten years before that whenslight island flavor is the most hopeful and forward
she released Love deLuxe. It could just be a case oflooking, as Sade sings about a father's protective love
us being so excited at finally getting some new musicfor his new baby daughter and the chorus echoes
from this star whom we love, that we're all over thewords about the fierceness of this love.
new CD without question.Skin and The Safest Place close out the CD. Skin
Sade is once again accompanied by her perennialsees the singer washing away the debris of another
sidemen, Stuart Matthewman on guitar, sax andlove gone wrong while The Safest Place reprises the
programming, the keyboardist Andrew Hale and thetheme of love being a war. Sade and her band have
bassist Paul S. Denman. A bunch of her good friendsscored another definite hit. If you love a somewhat
helped out with duo and background work.dark outlook and lots of drum and bass, and you love
So what's the verdict? It's good. It's very good. TheSade, you will love this new release, Soldier of Love.
accompanying music produced by Matthewman, et al,