This slickly-produced outfit carved their niche in the mid-1980s by blending soul, funk, jazz and pop with the exotic vocals (and looks) of their frontwoman and namesake, Sade Adu, whose lyrics, while skillfully addressing personal and social issues on occasion, more often than not came cleverly spiked with sexual undertones. (Perhaps not coincidentally, Sade's music is also acknowledged universally as a popular love-making soundtrack.) Their cosmopolitan appeal and well-crafted songs have earned Sade considerable international success.
Born Helen Folesade Adu in Nigeria in 1959, Sade Adu moved to London with her mother at age four following the separation of her parents. She studied fashion at college and even modeled briefly, but music was her first passion (favorites included Nina Simone, Al Green and Marvin Gaye). In the early '80s, after joining a London-based R&B band named Pride as a backing singer, Sade developed a songwriting partnership with the band's guitarist/saxophonist, Stewart Matthewman. In 1983, she and Matthewman left the band, taking along bassist Paul Spencer Denman and keyboard player Andrew Hale, to form Sade. They landed a record deal within a year, and released their debut, Diamond Life, in 1984 (Stateside release came a few months later, in 1985). Listeners found the album a refreshing alternative to the predominantly synth-based pop of the '80s, and the smooth cool-jazz and Latin-influenced rhythms exhibited on the singles "Your Love Is King" and "Smooth Operator" made the album an instant hit on both sides of the Atlantic. It also scored Sade a Grammy Award for Best New Artist. The band followed up a year later with Promise, which went to number one in the U.S. on the strength of singles "The Sweetest Taboo" and "Never As Good As The First Time." Following a long but deserved break, the band released their third (and first self-produced) album, Stronger Than Pride in 1988. It, too, was an international hit, necessitating further intense touring. During their next extended break, Sade built an elaborate home studio, which is where the band would record their next album, 1992's Love Deluxe. It was followed by yet more worldwide success and touring.
Throughout her career, the media-shy Sade Adu has strived to maintain a low profile and to work at her own pace. This latest gap between albums has seen the release of a greatest-hits compilation and companion long-form video.
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Her songs are all very good, she has a great voice, check her out.
