Diamond Life (studio album)
by Sade

I can't think of another artist who fits into this Smooth-Jazz music genre which makes them very unique. What a breakout debut album that is the best blend of voice and music from beginning to end. The team song writing of Adu and Matthewman makes for some great material on this album. The musician Stuart Matthewman is definitely a big part of the sound of this band.

From Jboy56 05/08/2024 13:47 | #303422

Here we have a groundbreaking album that defined the smooth style of soul, funk, and jazz together for the first time.

'Diamond Life' is an absolute classic among its peers and music as a whole. There is not a single weak track here.
The super bangers - "Smooth Operator", "Cherry Pie", "Your Love Is King", "Hang on to Your Love" and "Why Can't We Live Together" all are 100/100 the rest 95/100.
This album can be used on any occasion that may come to your mind: partying. loungings, on the beach or just during the wee wee hours or lazy afternoons. Superb. Diamond Life still sounds timeless...
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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 | #280313

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 | #267502

Muito sofisticado, vale cada ouvida!

From planetneutral 12/05/2020 03:40 | #262004

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 | #244302

The velvet and very sexy voice