Diamond Life (studio album) by Sade

Nice & smooth soul/R&B, also quite influential. Excellent opening and ending, it is great in the background or to relax.

A significant album in the history of music that is an extremely smooth and relaxing listen. The whole record comes together very nicely with each song matching in tone, style and environment. The music still sounds fresh to this day as well and has aged beautifully. This is really helped by the excellent instrumentation on the record. This peaks with the performance on the saxophone which adds an edge to every song it is on and really makes the sound stand out as truly unique. Some of the solos from the sax are just phenomenal as well with one of the best coming on Sally making a weaker track still possess a large amount of quality. Sade's voice dominates this album in my opinion though with it sounding so effortlessly smooth and so easy to get lost in. She uses her voice magnificently and builds upon an already enchanting environment. What holds this album back for me is the filler present on the album. A few songs are weaker instrumentally and they don't have the same hook effect as the bigger tracks. The record does feel unnecessarily elongated as well with certain songs feeling stretched thin and like they could have ended quite a bit earlier. Overall, an album full of talent which is very important in musical history and is worth a listen for its smooth and relaxing environment it creates for you.

An influential R&B classic, Sade burst onto the scene with this sleek debut, mixing glossy 80s production with soulful songwriting. Songwriting duo Sade Adu and Stuart Matthewman (singer and guitarist/saxophonist for the band, respectively) offer everything from smooth jazz-inflected pop ('Your Love is King', 'Frankie's First Affair', 'Sally') to funk ('Cherry Pie', 'Hang On To Your Love', 'Why Can't We Live Together'). Every track feels like a classic or near it. Breakout single 'Smooth Operator' is often considered their signature song, and for good reason. This record is ripe with bright keyboards, colorful saxophone solos, and slinky (but FAT) basslines.

Essential tracks: Smooth Operator, Your Love Is King, Hang On To Your Love, When Am I Going to Make a Living

Underrated gems: Frankie's First Affair, Cherry Pie

From Jboy56 01/30/2022 17:00

A groundbreaking album in the smooth soul genre. I love it.

smooth pop songs by a superior vocalist

From VictorVale 03/18/2021 22:08

Muito sofisticado, vale cada ouvida!

From planetneutral 12/05/2020 03:40

It's like my 15YO said in response to Hang On to Your Love, "This song's a vibe." Smart kid.

From jeremy9 10/31/2019 07:56

The velvet and very sexy voice

A voice like honey. Very sexy music but also good listening on your own.

Sade's premiere is crisp and inviting abet the occasional hiccup.