Quick 'N Dirty Review: Sade | Soldier Of Love

Before we start, here's a quick look at the rating system that we use here at The Dirtywhirl:

100 - Classic Album; One Of The Best Of All Time
99-90 - Exceptional Work; Rush Out And Get This
89-80 - Very, Very Good; You Should Still Go Out And Get This
79-70 - Not Bad At All; Might Actually Be Worth Your Time
69-60 - Has Its Moments But On The Whole... Meh
59-50 - Won't Make Your Ears Bleed; Won't Make You Dance, Either
49-0 - Don't Waste Your Time; You're Smarter Than This (Probably) 

Now... onto the review:

Sade | Soldier Of Love

An extended hiatus is rarely a good thing in the music industry as one of two things usually happens. As an act, either you're so inconsequential that people forget about you while you're gone or you're so extraordinary as a band that you create impossible expectations for your return. Sade falls into the latter category. If you're a Sade fan, it's really difficult to hate on their first record in a decade, Soldier Of Love, because in many ways it's a classic Sade album. Not to mention that after ten years, frankly, it's good to have them back. The expectations were a killer, though. When the "Soldier Of Love" single was released in January, it created an excitement not only for Sade's return but also for an updated, beat-centric sound that fails to materialize on much of Soldier Of Love. Is that the band's fault for not following through or is the audience to blame for reading into what the single seemed to promise? That's probably a larger discussion for another time but, after getting past the initial bit of disappointment, Soldier Of Love reveals itself as a more than worthy entry into Sade's canon, albeit one that could have been a little stronger. "The Moon And The Sky" opens the record with that familiar Sade sound that hasn't changed much in the last 25 years. It's clear that the Sade that we knew and loved has returned as frontwoman Sade Adu coos, "You'll always know the reason why/ We could have had the moon and the sky/ You'll always know the reason why this love/ Reason why this love ain't gonna let you go." "Soldier Of Love" follows and is one of the year's early highlights, yet proves to be an anomaly on the record. With its martial snares and backing vocalists sounding off in the chorus, it unquestionably fits the soldier motif and seems to suggest a different, more modern and harder (relatively speaking, obviously) course than the band has previously charted in their career. Everything comes crashing back down to earth with the arrival of "Morning Bird," however. It's not really that the track is bad in any way, but it takes the record in an unexpected direction following "Soldier Of Love" and is one of the album's few missteps. Soldier Of Love does get back on track with the social critique of "Babyfather" (this record's "Slave Song"), the Nick Drake-esque "Long Hard Road," and the breathtakingly gorgeous 80s quiet storm throwback "In Another Time." In what would have worked as the perfect closer to Soldier Of Love instead of the tepid "The Safest Place," "In Another Time" is the type of track (with "Soldier Of Love") that proves why Sade is still relevant in 2010. Soldier Of Love is the sound of a band willing enough to dip their toes in the pool of different sounds, but one who sounds like they're more comfortable, as a group now in their 50s, to stick with what brought them to the dance in the first place. But oh, what a dance it is.


RIYL (Recommended If You Like): Classic Sade; Everything But The Girl; Quiet storm R&B; Intelligent R&B that isn't all about fucking; Triumphant returns
Standout Tracks: "Soldier Of Love;" "In Another Time;" "The Moon And The Sky;" "Babyfather"



Dirty Rating: 80/100

Soldier of Love - Sade