Diamond Life

Performer: Sade
Engineer: Ben Rogan
Producer: Robin Millar
Distributor: Sony Music Distribution (

Notes: Also available as a 3-pack with PROMISE and LOVE DELUXE. Sade: Sade Adu (vocals); Stuart Matthewman (guitar, saxophone); Andrew Hale (keyboards); Paul S. Denman (bass). Additional personnel: Terry Bailey, Gordon Matthewman (trumpet); Dave Early (drums, percussion); Paul Cooke (drums); Martin Ditcham (percussion). Digitally remastered by Tom Coyne (Sterling Sound, New York, New York). Personnel: Sade Adu (vocals); Stuart Matthewman (guitar, saxophone); Gordon Matthewman, Terry Bailey (trumpet); Andrew Hale (keyboards); Dave Early (drums, percussion); Paul Cooke (drums); Martin Ditcham (percussion). Audio Remasterer: Tom Coyne. Recording information: Power Plant. Photographer: Chris Roberts . Unknown Contributor Role: Mike Pela. Sade crept up on the music market when they were least expecting it. The surprise hit 'Your Love Is King' was a very mature record for the singles market and one that opened the door to smooth soul-based pop. This album proved that she was no fluke and it became one of the most acclaimed debuts of all time. Sade rode out the publicity and coped with everything; for once the music did the talking. 'Smooth Operator' put her back in the pop charts but it was the overall class and confidence of the whole album that makes it so darn good. Her reading of Timmy Thomas's 'Why Can't We Live Together' is a highlight.

Rolling Stone (4/1/04, p.93) - 5 stars out of 5 - "Sade's neat, self-possessed sophistication has its own shine." Uncut (2/01, p.87) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...[The album] sounds as seductive as ever..."

A singer whose music is as exotic and elegant as her image, Sade utilized sultry, jazz-tinged vocals and smooth pop arrangements to become, deservedly, one of the most successful international stars of the 1980s. Her voice is a subtle thing, breathy and intimate, and her music mostly reflects that. She prefers a whisper to a scream, and most of her hits tend to simmer and percolate. She's also demonstrated real songwriting ability ("No Ordinary Love," "The Sweetest Taboo") and great taste in covers (Percy Mayfield's classic blues "Please Send Me Someone to Love" and Timmy Thomas's 1973 minimalist proto-disco hit "Why Can't We Live Together").

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