© THE URBAN NETWORK XX VOLUME 19 NUMBER 6© THE URBAN NETWORK 12 VOLUME 19 NUMBER 8

The enigma that is Sade reared its lovely head December 8, 2009,and sent hearts racing with the early Christmas present of whatinstantly became Single of the Year, “Soldier of Love.” Soldier of Loveis also the title track of the 50 million-selling and 3x-Grammy-win-ning quartet’s sixth album and first in ten years. In no rush to feedthe beast or face the nations, the foursome poetically convened fromfour corners of the globe at Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studio wheninspiration was as full and ripe as Nick Drake’s “Pink Moon.”Ravenously anticipated yet totally unexpected and completely capti-vating in its innovations, the song sent a shockwave of electricitythrough a dull pop music scene with its bracing combination ofbeats, message and soul opera.

“I’m at the borderline of my faith / I’m at the hinterland of my devotion.”

More maelstrom than Quiet Storm, this audiophile attention arrester is arazor sharp reflection of the reamed-raw times everyone it seems is fightingthrough – artistically, spiritually, financially, and globally – yet penned with alyric of vague obliqueness chased with defiant optimism into which every-one can slot their singular cross to bear. Whether you’re wrestling WallStreet woes, struggling through unemployment, nursing crises of faith orfighting at war on behalf of your country abroad, somewhere in the smokymist you will recognize yourself among the song’s walking wounded withheart in hand.

“I’ve been torn up inside / I’ve been left behind / So I ride / I have the willto survive / In the Wild, Wild West / Trying my hardest…doin’ my best / Tostay alive.”

With its high voltage jolts and martial cadences of soulsonics as soundtrack,“Soldier of Love” found the four musketeers of Sade (singer/lyricist HelenFolasade Adu, guitarist/saxophonist/mood shaman Stuart Matthewman,keyboardist Andrew Hale and bassist Paul S. Denman) riding back intotown in funky formation – busting down barricades along both the battle-fields of life and global pop. Their canon torn flag bore two messages. Onone side to the world at large: “Stay strong – Love will prevail.” On theother side to the music industry: “We’re comin back, kickin’ ass, reclaimingsoldiers…and collectin’ up more.”

Of Soldiers, Saviors and Heartbreakers –

T H E N E W

SADEB Y A . S C O T T G A L L O W A Y

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© THE URBAN NETWORK XX VOLUME 19 NUMBER 6© THE URBAN NETWORK 13 VOLUME 19 NUMBER 8

There’s not another song on the album with the feel of this riveting single.The project sauté’s in a somber ambience for the group that duallyembraces grassroots strains of blues and country but with the airy spa-ciousness of a Mark Isham (or “Cottonbelly”) film score. It is a 10-song setof evocative and introspective mood pieces with not one sexy soothinglove song in the lot. For a woman who seems to have the best of artisticworlds – global success, a corporation that works on her timetable, finan-cial security, a husband and a daughter – her themes continue to paint heras not queen but “King of Pain” (as the song on her last album insisted –move over Mr. Sumner). No matter her worldly contentment, the womanunderstands and deeply empathizes with pain…and seems ever-ready toreturn there on behalf of like lost souls…in need. Sade’s core followers willfaithfully melt into the molten dark chocolate melancholy and stir in its bit-tersweet bliss.

The opener “The Moon and The Sky” is a heart-grabber with its sweetweeping guitar refrain and the bleak beauty of its lyric. This will likely bethe next single with its aching sentiment: “You’ll always know the reasonwhy the song you heard will stay on your mind and ain’t gon’ let you go,no / You were the moon and I the endless sky.”

“Morning Bird” is a mesmerizing meditation on some betrayal with its cine-matic layering of piano, strings, voice and percussion.

“Babyfather” is easily the sunniest of the songs, a reflection of her daugh-ter’s devoted daddy set to a mod reggae feel and an endlessly repeatingchorus.

“Long Hard Road” is an acoustic guitar blues reminiscent of vintage BillWithers – sadness laced with resolve, reassurance and an aura of movingon with one’s life.

“Be That Easy” boasts a lazy country Sunday lope as Sade swoon-croons inthe wide open spaces about “just fallin’ somewhere…” She even whistlesat the end.

“Bring Me Home” goes on about a barren emptiness inside that is ironical-ly set to a hummable melody and a bouncing beat.

“Skin” is about shedding off a love that wasn’t meant to be like so muchrattlesnake dermis – set to a light techno groove with a lyrical nod toMichael Jackson.

“The Safest Place” closes the 42 minute sojourn with our heroine cradled ingraceful guitar and the loving arms of her “savior of love” in a picturesqueplace of lyrical serenity. However, I have saved a different song for last.

“In Another Time” is the “pearl” masterpiece of Soldier of Love…a sparecomforter for dashing despair that finds Sade at her soothing, sympatheticbest. “You’ve been down, girl,” she consoles, “Their whispers are hail-stones in your face // They don’t know what to do with something sogood.” Word is that this song may have been inspired by a girl who hassuffered abuse from both her parents. After the sweetest succession ofpicked and pendulum guitars, string quartet, piano, violin, rim shot, andthe sumptuous, heroically swooping return of Stuart on tenor, Sadeassures, “Darling, I just want you to know your tears won’t leave a trace /In another time, girl…in another place.” And though it clocks in as thelongest song of the ten, you wish it went on for another ten.

I continue to be spellbound by the swagger of the planet’s most bewitch-ing barefoot Braveheart…and her brotherhood of masterful minimalistmonks.

A . S C O T T G A L L O W AY

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