Lovers Rock

Performer: Sade
Engineer: Andrew Davies; Mike Pela
Producer: Mike Pela; Sade
Distributor: Sony Music Distribution (

Notes: Personnel: Sade Adu (vocals); Leroy Osbourne (vocals); Stuart Matthewman (guitar, woodwinds, programming); Andy Nice (cello); Andrew Hale (keyboards, programming); Janusz Podrazik (keyboards); Paul S. Denman (bass); Karl Vanden Bossche (percussion). Recorded between September 1999 & August 2000. LOVERS ROCK won the 2002 Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album. Personnel: Sade (vocals); Leroy Osbourne, Sade Adu (vocals); Stuart Matthewman (guitar, woodwinds, programming); Andy Nice (cello); Andrew Hale (keyboards, programming); Janusz Podrazik (keyboards); Karl Vanden (percussion). Recording information: Deliverance Studio (08/1999-08/2000); Sarn Hook End, El Cortijo (08/1999-08/2000). Photographer: Albert Watson. Arranger: Sade. Examining the career of former model/fashion design student Helen Folasade Adu, it's apparent that the span between studio albums increased exponentially. Eight years after LOVE DELUXE, the original members of Sade's band regrouped and here recapture the magic of the former ensemble. The vocals on LOVERS ROCK are unmistakably sensual and enchanting. Guitarist Stuart Matthewman steers clear of the crunchy electric sound that was his signature on LOVE DELUXE, the one exception being "Somebody Already Broke My Heart," which has some tasty understated percussive palm muting in the choruses. From an instrumental perspective, LOVERS ROCK leans a bit more to the electronic side, but technology doesn't dampen the atmosphere and simple beauty of the music. Not surprisingly, the focus continues to be the sweet, often mournful melodies of a unique pop vocalist.

Spin (1/01, pp.113-4) - 8 out of 10 - "...An airy album, demo-like in its simplicity....Sade has never put out anything quite so ephemeral....practically hanging in the air like mist....devastating..." Q (12/00, pp.132-3) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...Attractively bespoke..." Mixmag (12/00, p.181) - 5 out of 5 - "...Her glorious, bretahy vocals and raw and emotive production are as untainted and timeless as ever..." Vibe (12/00, pp.195-6) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...proves that such a remarkable voice can survive 8 years between albums and still sound vital. Her voice is controlled, elegant, and radiantly cool - so beautiful, so simple, so necessary..." Mojo (Publisher) (12/00, pp.110-1) - "...[Her] appealingly blank vocals are intricately layered and the delicate, spacious arrangements...underline her desolate quality....it still goes well with cocktails..."

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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