Best Of Sade CD

Sade: Sade Adu (vocals); Stuart Matthewman (guitar, saxophone); Andrew Hale (keyboards); Paul S. Denman (bass).
Additional personnel includes: Leroy Osbourne, Jake Jacas (vocals); Gordon Hunte (guitar); Tony Pleeth (cello); Terry Bailey, Gordon Matthewman (trumpet); Pete Beachill (trombone); Dave Early, Martin Ditcham (drums, percussion); Paul Cooke, Trevor Murrell (drums); Karl Vanden Bossche (percussion).
Producers: Robin Millar, Ben Rogan, Mike Pela, Sade, Hein Hoven.
Engineers: Mike Pela, Ben Rogan.
Digitally remastered by Tom Coyne (Sterling Sound, New York, New York).
By the time this was released in 1994, something unexpected happened. Sade's early work became classic and the later additions boasted even better vocals and songs that nicely improved on the theme. The timeless sound and class always exhibited makes Sade Adu and her band a no-brainer for an appealing compilation. Like Al Green's Greatest Hits, The Best of Sade doesn't detract from the original albums and is a marker of time, not the end of the act. The ice-princess demeanor and detached vocals worked perfectly for the mid-'80s singles and radio samples "Smooth Operator" and "Your Love Is King." The tracks from the make-or-break second album, Promise, seem less dolorous propped up and sequenced for a compilation. The sensual-to-a-fault "The Sweetest Taboo" and "Never As Good As the First Time" both retain their strength here. The songs from Stronger Than Pride -- "Love Is Stronger Than Pride," "Nothing Can Come Between Us," and the great "Paradise" -- all benefit from Ian Cooper's mastering job. This set also includes tracks from Sade's "comeback" CD, Love Deluxe, including "Kiss of Life" and "No Ordinary Love." As a bonus, The Best of Sade also includes a rare cover of "Please Send Me Someone to Love" from the Philadelphia soundtrack. Despite its riches, The Best of Sade doesn't include all of the best, since "Maureen" and or "Keep Looking" aren't here. It's a small complaint and The Best of Sade is a great overview. ~ Jason Elias
Nigerian vocalist Sade Adu has carved out a cosmpolitan niche for herself over the past decade, gathering together elements of cool jazz, samba, reggae, funk and pop all under the pastoral umbrella of her suede-and-velvet voice. A pop stylist with a musical universe all her own, Sade has endured and matured over the past decade, seemingly unaffected by changes in taste and fashion--a movement unto herself.
As her most recent single (Percy Mayfield's "Please Send Me Someone To Love" from the PHILADELPHIA soundtrack) illustrates, Sade's coy caressing voice speaks more of commitment and trust, of relationships in flux ("Nothing Can Come Between Us") than of the heat of the moment: from the the coy duplicity of "Smooth Operator" to the positive reinforcement of "The Sweetest Taboo" and the sweet ambiguities of "Love Is Stronger Than Pride."
Outside of Sade's mentholated vocals, it is the serene, understated quality of her arrangements that lend THE BEST OF SADE its classic touch of elegance. Delicate washes of percussion and acoustic guitar, the coiled intensity of Stewart Matthewman's tenor saxophone counterpoint, Andrew Hale's suave, elusive keyboard colorations, and Paul S. Denman's discretely dancing bass provide a maximum of smoke, but precious little fire. The simmering aftermath of Sade's music is as deceptively powerful as a mixed drink: smooth and sweet going down, but with a surprisingly potent kick.Entertainment Weekly (11/18/94, p.108) - "...Among these soulful, moody treasures...from her four platinum discs, there is one particular jewel:...Percy Mayfield's "Please Send Me Someone To Love"....a grand reminder of why the silky-voiced chanteuse's love is king...." - Rating: A