Promise
by Sade

Promise by Sade
Year: 1985
Release date: 1985-11-04
Overall rank: 2,379th   Overall chart history
Average Rating: 
76/100 (from 164 votes)
  Ratings distribution   Average rating history
Accolades:
Award Top albums of 1985 (29th)
Award Top albums of the 1980s (356th)
Award Best albums of all time (2,379th)

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Sade bestography

Promise is ranked 3rd best out of 10 albums by Sade on BestEverAlbums.com.

The best album by Sade is Diamond Life which is ranked number 656 in the list of all-time albums with a total rank score of 2,611.

Sade album bestography « Higher ranked (972nd)
Love Deluxe
This album (2,379th)
Promise
Lower ranked (4,127th) »
Stronger Than Pride

(N.B. Bestographies include all albums by an artist (and their variations), but do not include albums ranked outside the top 100,000).

Upcoming concerts

May
12
Tue
Miles Minnick
Vinyl, Atlanta, United States. United States
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Apr
18
Sat
Stayin' Alive
South Point Showroom at South Point, Las Vegas, United States. United States
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Apr
09
Thu
Alejandro Sanz ¿Y ahora qué? Tour 2026
Rosemont Theatre, Rosemont, United States. United States
Tickets from Ticketmaster Get tickets
 

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Promise rankings

Rankings summary
Overall rank: 2,379th | 1980s rank: 356th | 1985 rank: 29th

Promise collection

Promise ratings

Average Rating: 
76/100 (from 164 votes)
  Ratings distribution Help Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AV
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.

Showing latest 5 ratings for this album.  | Show all 164 ratings for this album.

Sort Sort by
RatingDate updatedMemberAlbum ratingsAvg. album rating
 
95/100
 
02/01/2026 19:55 sweetness  Ratings distribution  1,11679/100
 
50/100
 
01/01/2026 17:57 Proto  Ratings distribution  4,11133/100
 
70/100
 
12/31/2025 05:38 Hayden  Ratings distribution  7,55672/100
 
90/100
 
12/28/2025 01:40 saltysurprise  Ratings distribution  2,94283/100
 
80/100
 
11/12/2025 23:24 NYAndreas  Ratings distribution  1,43344/100

Rating metrics: Help Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some albums can have several thousand ratings)

This album is rated in the top 5% of all albums on BestEverAlbums.com. This album has a Bayesian average rating of 76.0/100, a mean average of 75.5/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 76.2/100. The standard deviation for this album is 14.0.

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Promise comments

Showing all 4 comments |
Most Helpful First | Newest First | Positive Sentiment First | Longest Comments First
(Only showing comments with -2 votes or higher. You can alter this threshold from your profile page. Manage Profile)

Rating:  
90/100
From 08/18/2024 07:37 | #304794
Solid album which repeats the style and panache of the first, but not entirely, but still PROMISE is suitable for many situations of life. Soothing and mind easin.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
70/100
From 11/06/2019 07:28 | #244484
It's good album, nothing more
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
From 01/03/2018 10:52 | #204474
A good follow up to, Diamond life. Promise, is a much more jazzy affair than it's predecessor with the use of brass much more prominent. Nice performances on this perfect late night, lights down album. Very good.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
95/100
From 12/18/2017 20:15 | #203486
This album flows with silky vocals and crisp drums, truly the smooth in smooth r&B.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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Best Albums of 1985
1. Hounds Of Love by Kate Bush
2. Rain Dogs by Tom Waits
3. Brothers In Arms by Dire Straits
4. Meat Is Murder by The Smiths
5. Psychocandy by The Jesus And Mary Chain
6. Songs From The Big Chair by Tears For Fears
7. The Head On The Door by The Cure
8. Tim by The Replacements
9. Steve McQueen by Prefab Sprout
10. Rum Sodomy & The Lash by The Pogues
11. Misplaced Childhood by Marillion
12. Low-Life by New Order
13. This Is The Sea by The Waterboys
14. New Day Rising by Hüsker Dü
15. This Nation's Saving Grace by The Fall
16. Fables Of The Reconstruction by R.E.M.
17. Little Creatures by Talking Heads
18. Around The World In A Day by Prince And The Revolution
19. Love by The Cult
20. The Dream Of The Blue Turtles by Sting