Album Review: Sade 'Soldier of Love'

Singer Sade Adu returns with her band to bring us a new LP titled Soldier of Love. The sixth studio album holds gems that are much needed in a time of music where everything is evolving and taking on synthetic sounds.



When Sade announced during the latter part of 2009 that she was preparing to release a new project, R&B, Soul and Jazz fans rejoiced at the news. There wasn’t much music that was representing in the genre and for the most part the sounds of Pop infused R&B ruled the airwaves.

Sade’s Soldier of Love is like the glass of water fans have been thirsting for and surely their thirsts will be satisfied from the first track down to its last.

Soldier of Love opens with “The Moon and The Sky” – a song that speaks of having a strong love that will not die or falter. Sade’s intense soul-drenched voice wraps around the beat like a glove. That song is followed up by “Soldier of Love” which is the album’s lead single and has a very memorable opening courtesy of the horn that appears at the beginning of the track. The heavy drums and air-cutting guitar strums does the job of adding body to the overall appeal of the song.

The one thing that becomes quite clear about Soldier of Love just judging by the first 3 tracks of the album is that this project is made from the heart and allows only natural and traditional instrumentation to successfully paint a musical picture.

The songs are so descriptive even when there are little to no words as told by “Be That Easy”, “Long Hard Road” and especially “Morning Bird” which has a soul inspiring sound that depends on just a piano, violin and tambourine to illustrate the picture the lyrics narrate.

“Babyfather” has a little Caribbean flavor to it. The song speaks on the knowledge and love a father has for his child. The lyrics to the song not only provide entertainment but a lesson as well emphasizing that “your daddy’s love comes with a lifetime guarantee.”

Though it may only be a 10-track album, the songs hold in great measure the type of sound some of us have been missing. Sade’s carefree sound shines through the album and shows that good music can come in small bundles.

Soldier of Love is like a musical novel good with every page turned with enough diversity to suffice Sade’s current fan base in addition to ushering in a new.


Standout Tracks: "Soldier of Love", "Morning Bird", "Babyfather", "In Another Time."

Sade’s Soldier of Love is scheduled for release February 9, 2010.