Soldier of Love

Released

Aside from the high drama of the title track, Sade’s sixth album is their gentlest — bringing Norah Jones levels of country-soul smoothness into the mix alongside their existing elements. But that doesn’t diminish its power one bit. Sade Adu’s voice by 2010 has matured into a rich, dark velvet instrument, and the sophistication of her and the band’s songwriting puts it to use to express the most complex of adult emotions like nobody else can. The production too is as advanced as any major band out there. While tracks like “Skin” and “The Moon and the Sky” might have obvious dub/reggae throb to their basslines, they’re not the only expression of soundsystem culture. The totality of the sound, the way neo soul sophistication is blended with the bodily affect of club/soundsystem production, is second to none. The album met some criticism for its relentlessly slow pace, but the suspension of tension is the entire point: it’s as immersive as any ambient record, even as the songs continue to justify the band’s megastar status.

Joe Muggs

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