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| Every Playa! Worldwide's Doc J reviews: Sade – “Soldier Of Love” |
| Written by Administrator | Published Thu, 18 February 2010 |
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Doc J, Sade, Soldier of Love album review |
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Doc J's exclusive interview with AListRadio.net's next big DJ, A-Smooth as he shares tips, experiences & gets personal!
It’s Tuesday, June 8th…This is Doc J, representing Hear My Voice Ent, and I’m in the building with DJ A-Smooth, and we bringing you this audio interview straight from EP WORLDWIDE…Every Playa! Worldw
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Doc J's Music Insider Guide: ADVICE FROM MAJORS TO INDIES! - Part 2
SUGGESTIONS ABOUT THE BUSINESS SIDE. Whattup kiddos? During the last segment I covered advice from major label artists speaking on the type of mentality an artist should strive for, when trying to be successful. Once you get your mind right, an artist t
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Doc J's Music Insider Guide: ADVICE FROM MAJORS TO INDIES! - Part 1
A Profound Rationalization of Jesse Gissen’s April 2010 XXL article. This month XXL journalist, Jesse Gissen (who also shares my first name), briefly tou
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Every Playa! Worldwide's Doc J reviews: SLASH - SLASH
4.5 Stars out of 6: Above-Average Album, a good CD that while still containing a few flaws, it surprisingly has a lot of quality material and replay value.
While claiming to be a Hip-Hop collector and aficionado, Rock music is something I enjoy as well. While I’m not an avid Rock lis
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5 Stars out of 6: SUPERIOR ALBUM, among the year’s best, with fresh ideas, excellent replay value, & next to no flaws.
Since their debut in 1983, the London-bred band Sade, has compiled more than 30 million unit sales worldwide, and has marched through over 27 years of crafting their unique brand of emotional quiet-storming R&B grooves. Soldiering that much time in the ever-changing music industry takes a lot of perseverance and is frankly hard to comprehend – even more-so by the large portion of my readers who aren’t even that old yet. Fittingly, as this new album’s title SOLDIER OF LOVE suggests, Sade Helen Folasade Adu and her musical troop, are equipped with a lot of the same qualities as a modern soldier. They have loyalty (shown by only one personnel change since their creation); they are courageous (revealed by their honest admittance of pain and lost love on every song); they show determination (by always teaching that you can overcome this heart-ache); they have patience (judging from the 10 year gap since the last album, and 8 years since the previous album before that) – and they are even decorated soldiers as well (from their numerous Brit & Grammy trophies). Combining their truly organic recording process, the mystique of so few album releases, and their ability to stick to their strengths of deep, slow, shadowy love songs– it has allowed them to distinctively solidify their legacy. Let’s see if this new album’s battle tactics are just as effective.
The opening track, “The Moon & The Sky” with its seductive string arrangement, somber Latin guitar, and trudging bass, definitely sets the mood for this album’s theme of unconditional love neglected by selfishness. This is followed by the bold first single and title-track “Soldier of Love” that is powered by rumbling military drums, distorted guitar squeaks, stabbing synths, and a chant-like chorus – quickly making it one of my all-time favorites from them. What’s most interesting here is the prospect of being their first beat-driven song, with Sade’s resiliency through lyrics such as, “I lost the use of my heart, but I’m still alive”. This time around Sade dabbles a bit in cross-genre production as well. The lounge-ready “Bring Me Home” mixes Arab composition with a funky up-tempo Trip-Hop break-beat, and low ghostly multi-tracked background wails – which is almost begging for an emcee to remix. Meanwhile, on “Be That Easy”, we are treated to R&B mixed with a down-tempo blues swing and slow country-glide guitar twangs – where Sade’s soothing and gentle crooning of lines like “It couldn’t be that easy/ It had to be much harder/ Meanwhile boy, I love you farther” are reminiscent of Billie Holliday. Lyrically, a show-stopper is demonstrated on the proposed second single “Skin” – which will rank with some of Sade’s best emotionally-inspired songwriting. Over a lonely electric guitar and slowed funk percussion, Sade compares a bad break-up to the imagery of exfoliation - describing the process of “washing off” and “peeling away” the elements of an ex-lover from her life.
Other standout tracks include: the quiet ballad “Morning Bird” where over a skeletal few piano chords and shivering tambourine, she croons about love, betrayal, and regrettable loyalty by starting the song off with the simple question: “how could you?”; while the closing track “The Safest Place” describing a rocky love history and the comfort in her new love’s arms, ends the CD on an optimistic note with lyrics like: “My heart’s been a lonely warrior/ Who’s been to war/ So you can be sure/ In my heart, your love has found the safest hiding place” – cementing that this album is more a survival guide to heartbreak.
It’s considerably difficult to find much fault with this near-masterpiece. The only “negative” feedback I am hearing from the DJ community is the length of time that’s passed since Sade’s last album (10 years). Me being such a production and lyrical-buff, I did feel that the mix of hallow synths, steel-drums, and subtle reggae-vibe of “Babyfather” just felt weird, and Sade herself somewhat was confused with lyrics at one point praising her daughter and celebrating parenthood, and then at other times having a chorus stating, “Your daddy knows you’re a fling”.
Outside of that song though this is personally one of her most-listenable albums to date, in which I do not need to skip songs on. SOLDIER OF LOVE is that vintage sound that I expected and respected, and it is a welcome addition to Sade’s long legacy. It may be 5-10 years before we get a new album, but this style of music is in a class of its own, transcending all hot fads, studio technology, marketing plans, and economical recessions – so there’s no doubt in my mind that this will reach their customary platinum-selling status worldwide. Now at 51 years old, Sade’s sound (and look) has aged very-very well, and this album bravely soldiers on, proving that she is committed to their own artistic visions, not trends.
Peace.
Doc J |
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