SoulBounce's Essential Sade



When the group Sade burst onto the scene in 1984 they brought something different to the table. Fronted by the breathtaking beauty Helen Folasade Adu, their music was a fusion of Jazz, Pop and Soul the likes which we had never heard before. Today SoulBounce takes a deeper look into Sade's catalog and picks out our 15 favorites for this list of SoulBounce's Essential Sade. While their newest, Soldier of Love, is more than likely still in heavy rotation, you'll find singles and album cuts here from the debut album Diamond Life through Lovers Rock. It was hard narrowing this list down to just 15 songs, but what we have here is a representative sample of their--and her--greatness.
Center

1. "Smooth Operator"
From the album Diamond Life

- Advertisement -

As a pre-teen I had yet to get entangled with the type of man Sade sang when "Smooth Operator" came out in 1984, but come high school I understood all too well. Not that those young wannabe players or R. Kelly types were anywhere near the level of the jet-setting lothario that Sade sang of, yet they were all smooth operators in their own right. This song, with its sultry saxophone and pervasive percussion, is the soundtrack for loverboy's everywhere who hand out heartbreak like candy. -- Butta

- Advertisement -

2. "Your Love Is King"
From the album Diamond Life

Sade's "Your Love Is King" wasn't your typical love song, but it was the kinda that made you want to embrace your significant other and sway the night away with it on repeat. She sings of a lover who makes her soul skip a beat, which is definitely my kinda lovin'. The combination of her silky smooth vocals and the sax solo made this pure bliss. -- Butta

- Advertisement -

3. "Hang On To Your Love"
From the album Diamond Life

- Advertisement -

Another melancholy warning of what can happen when you take love for granted, Sade certainly wasn't the first to dispense this information, but they were one of the smoothest. I love this track overall, but I especially love the jazzy bridge, which is the main reason why I love it so. Back when Sade was a re-imagined Jazz outfit, little knew of the musical evolution that this band would make. This song is a reminder of what their roots were back then in addition to how how avant garde they were at the time. -- ill Mami

- Advertisement -

4. "Is It A Crime"
From the album Promise

"This may come, this may come as some surprise, but I miss you." So begins one of the most incredible songs to ever escape from Sade's crimson lips. This song embodies what every person who has ever been done wrong by someone--but deep down inside you can't escape the feelings you still harbor for the dirty bastard--has probably felt at one time or another. And is that so wrong? Can't they see that you're still the one? What is their damn problem? Sorry, I had brief flashback, but in all seriousness, this song is one of her best. -- Butta

- Advertisement -

5. "The Sweetest Taboo"
From the album Promise

- Advertisement -

This song literally changed my life. Steeped in the Pop sensibilities of WHAM!, Pet Shop Boys, Duran Duran, Culture Club and just about any other British Pop sensation present in 1985, this track seemed to come from nowhere and was all at once everywhere. This was Sade at her most beautiful, only because this was really the first time that I paid so much attention to her. She was breathtaking. Still is. And this song so neatly encapsulates my 10th year of life on this earth that I often get misty while being transplanted to those much simpler times. -- ill Mami

- Advertisement -

6. "Never As Good As The First Time"
From the album Promise

Oh my. I had never been kissed, never been whispered sweet nothings, never been touched by a lover when I first heard this song. But the melancholy warning that Sade seemed so intent upon making us all understand did not fall on deaf ears. This track remains the embodiment of a time you relish while you're immersed within it, but know that the dread of the joy you are feeling will soon be over. -- ill Mami

- Advertisement -

7. "Love Is Stronger Than Pride"
From the album Stronger Than Pride

 
I extolled the virtues of this track way back when SoulBounce was merely a baby, a little blog that could. Back then we were counting down our Top 100 Soul/R&B Songs, and this song landed squarely at #70. This has always been a favorite of mine because as a child I just loved the song's sound and the video's imagery. As an adult, I came to learn exactly what this song meant, and whenever my love is stronger than my pride, this song instantly starts playing in my head, along with the overwhelming desire to roll around on a beach in a red dress. -- ill Mami

- Advertisement -

8. "Nothing Can Come Between Us"
From the album Stronger Than Pride

- Advertisement -

This duet came from the same album as "Stronger Than Pride" and was the polar opposite to all of the Hip Hop I was listening to at the time. When this song came out, it was prominently featured on Video Soul, VH1 and just about any other outlet that recognized what beauty looked and sounded like. The video was stylistically simple, as was the song's message. As an adult, I no longer applied it to only romantic situations and because of this I sing this to my son as often as possible. -- ill Mami

9. "Haunt Me"
From the album Stronger Than Pride

I became a Sade groupie while in college in the mid-'90s. I lived a West-Indian creed of having fifty-million jobs and one of them included late-night desk shifts in a co-ed dorm. Sade became my best friend during these painfully late shifts, and I adored this track's elegant poignancy. How appropriate that the song "Haunt Me" off of Sade's Stronger Than Pride is a hauntingly beautiful musical experience. Almost ghostly vocals that float over the almost crystal delicacy of the band's accompaniment, this song is one of her best tracks yet. Check out this video as Sade flips this beautiful track into perfection as she performs it as a duet (that's a head's up in case you wonder who dude is that opens the song). Sheer awesomeness. -- Moon

10. "Keep Looking"
From the album Stronger Than Pride

The vibe created by this song was so beautiful, so ethereal yet grounded by its use of Spanish guitar chords. I remember how this was the first song on Side B--if you had this on cassette--of Stronger Than Pride. Makes me wistful every time I hear it. Here it is live. -- ill Mami

11. "I Couldn't Love You More"
From the album Love Deluxe

Sade has always gotten a bad rap for singing moody, melancholy music, but she has a number of songs in her catalog to debunk that notion, such as "I Couldn't Love You More." By the Love Deluxe album, Sade must have been madly in love, and we heard it on almost every song on this collection, especially on this track. She tells her man to stay exactly how he is because she couldn't possibly love him anymore than she already does. Now that's love. -- Butta

12. "Kiss of Life"
From the album Love Deluxe

This song is the most romantic Sade song ever. "Look at the sky, it's the color of love." While Lady Sade has to be one of the most chill, non-emotionally effusive females ever (which is my analysis as to why men adore her apart from her killer looks, but that's a seperate blog topic), on "Kiss of Life" she actually sounds excited, happy and perhaps giddy. I love this track. The band's musicians perk up the song, straying away from the band's signature melancholy Soul, while Sade's vocals illustrate the power of love. -- Moon

13. "Cherish The Day"
From the album Love Deluxe

Sade made all the boys in the yard pause when she emerged in 1992, a vision in silver, on the cover of Love Deluxe. Similarly, she caused multiple gasps to escape from everyone's lips when she stood, perched atop a highrise, as she played the role of a siren, imploring New York City to cherish the most perfect Summer day. I have always been partial to this remix, but I also adore the original. -- ill Mami

14. "Pearls"
From the album Love Deluxe

One of Sade's darker songs appeared on her happiest album. "Pearls" from Love Deluxe told the plight of a nameless, faceless "woman in Somalia" who was a world away, but Sade made her pain all too real when she sang "and it hurts like brand new shoes." That gut-wrenching metaphor was something that we could all relate to no matter what our situation. And when she wails "Hallelujah" later in the song? My God. It's a spiritual experience. -- Butta

15. "King of Sorrow"
From the album Lovers Rock

This song was the only reason I bought the CD Lovers Rock. Leave it to Sade to groove up a song about being down on your luck. I saw her tour the year she was promoting this album and her performance of this song was one of the highlights. I choose this song as an essential Sade song because it exemplifies her lyrical ability to paint a picture that is not dependent on extravagant delivery. -- Moon

Now that you've seen our list, what are some of your essential Sade songs?

- Advertisement -

You May Also Like

SoulBounce