Diamond Life

I'm always hesitant to use the phrase 'You just don't get it' to bash negative criticism of a work I enjoy, especially when the work is not exactly hard to 'get', but unfortunately I find myself in need of this argument when talking about Diamond Life. The reviews for this page are filled to the brim of complaints that this record is 'generic, 'uninspired' or 'artificial. 'Music for people that don't actually care about music' is a sentiment I see shared by people who will then give positive scores to the fucking Foo Fighters with no sense of irony. I have no issue with disliking this album of course, but if you think these descriptors apply to any part of this album you straight up don't know what makes good pop music and probably shouldn't act like an authority on the subject. This album simply epitomizes the word 'cool', everything about it is the smoothest of the smooth with its funky jazz instrumentals and Sade's sensual voice. Sade really is the perfect singer for this kind of music, she feels sort of like she's been designed in a lab to perfectly accompany this kind of easy listening jazz pop. Whilst this sounds on paper like it would create a nightmarishly bland LP the likes of which Michael Bolton and Bryan Adams could never hope to record, every track is full of soul and makes you feel like you're living an episode of Miami Vice (which is really what this kind of music should do). Rather than reveling in the artifice of many contemporary pop records, Diamond Life is a record that perfectly weaponizes subtlety to make the biggest impact on the listener it possibly can. It really makes you want to gaze across a neon cityscape, smoking a cigarette on an apartment balcony whilst reminiscing about a lost lover. Artificial is honestly the last word I would use to use to describe the music on this record, the emotion is oozing from every second of every track and quite frankly I would be surprised if anyone calling these tracks hollow was even attempting to meet them on their level. Its much more fun to sneer than give a chance to a work you happen to be apprehensive about. Therefore I have to assume the reason people attack this album is that they quite simply hear something that slightly resembles easy listening or Yacht Rock, and immediately assume it sucks without actually *listening* to how the music sounds. I hate easy listening too, but even I could tell this album rocks after just the first track! Its especially egregious to me with how obviously this genre of music crosses over with City Pop, which I can only imagine gets a free pass from people because of the perceived exoticism in listening to Japanese music (not shitting on City Pop for the record, check out Fly-day Chinatown when you get the chance) So ignore all of the screeching ignorance found in these 1 star reviews and go into this with an open mind, ideally at night and drift in Sade's world of sensuality and subtle melancholy. Then listen to everything else Sade has made. Its nothing but home runs for their entire discography, but Diamond Life is certainly a standout in that illustrious company. Highlights: Smooth Operator, Hang On To Your Love, Cherry Pie, Sally

I had a visceral reaction to this album, like a child revoking after touching a hot stove for the first time. I was driving faster on my way to work as if I could outrun the music. It feels like robots. It feels like lies. It’s like a nice glassy wrapped package that someone left empty. It has all the heart of the incidental music of a summertime Hallmark movie. Hopefully I won’t cross paths with this album again.

Absolute banger. Sax for days.

Wow. Now I know why people love Sade. Absolute banger of an album.

I wasn't expecting to be as into this album as I am. It's so smooth, funky, and jazzy. The musicianship is fantastic and Sade's vocals are phenomenal as well. The drums and bass are locked in and are doing really interesting lines and rhythms in the background. This is a marvelously produced album and is sequenced and mixed very well. In retrospect, it makes total sense that I love this album as I love funk and jazz. I was expecting something more dated I think.

Too smooth. Yuck. Like a barbie crotch.

Surprised by how much i loved it.

Generic ass middle of the road, nauseatingly smooth and uninspiring jazz sung with a boring vocal performance, what am I missing here? Best part is obviously the instrumentals, they carry Sade hard.

I feel an uncontrollable, visceral revulsion for almost every element of this. It's canned, bland, and impossible to stand. I can't discern any semblance of genuine human emotion from it. The sounds are flat and textureless, the songs plod along interminably, and the lyrics seem like they were written by a concussed android. Whether they're celebrating promiscuity and duplicitousness, as in 'Smooth Operator', or criticising it in 'Frankie's First Affair', (it's genuinely hard to tell), they are abject with an almost impressive uniformity.

perf combination of old and new soul and jazz. sade has been a huge influence to so many modern artists with a fresh take on this style of music. this album is so easy and nice to listen to. pretty romantic n smooth 💓💞💓💞💓truly iconic

Beautiful. So much soul with such a unique and fresh take on soulful jazz vocals. Def right up my alley

Like being stuck in a hotel lobby in the 1980s.

Timeless album. Not sure I will ever get tired of this one. First three songs are perfect, although I would prefer the US version of Smooth Operator to the UK version (on Spotify).

Very beige

Bloody awful. Music for people who don't actually listen to music - they just like something on while they're hosting a dinner party.

8/10

Un album très agréable à écouter. J'ai particulièrement apprécié le moment où Sade chante ♫ Shine bright like a diamond life, shine bright like a diamond life, We're beautiful like diamonds life in the sky ♫. Très sympa.

smooth operator is a catchy tune. beats are pretty neat for 84, but grating cheesy lyrics won out. 2 minutes into frankie, i turned my stereo off from the toilet and finished shitting in silence.

Really not my thing at all. Feels very corporate and slick.

I'm trying so hard to approach this album objectively and failing. British sophisti-pop is possibly the most obnoxious genre of music ever created and Sade is the epitome of the genre. I found nothing redeeming in this album. The vocals are lazy, the melodies are sleazy, the lyrics are insipid, and DEAR GOD WHY ARE THERE SO MANY SAXOPHONE SOLOS. "Diamond Life" is absolutely infested with saxophone solos and it's not good. It's not good at all. I hated literally every moment of this album.

I tried to ignore my preconceptions about this album. Turns out they were right, utter shite.

If you like the sound of Casio keyboard and drum sounds together with alto saxophone solos and a smooth vocal then this album is for you. I've seen this described as sounding like elevator music and that's probably about right. It amazes me people actually bought this (I'm pretty sure my sister had this in her cd collection). Why, is beyond me. I guess smash hits or just 17 gave it a rave review? And I suppose the cover is quite cool in an art noir kind of way. Um, yeah, not really my bag. Is that 1000 words yet?

Good strong start with the first two songs, well known. But then the rest of the album seems just… vanilla. Didn’t really inspire. Good singer though.

bland generic smooth jazz. feel like I spent the last 45 minutes in an elevator

Nah, fuck this.

Utter shite. This album kicks off with the very forgettable "Smooth Operator" and gets progressively worse throughout. Shit songwriting. It's that simple. Long, poorly-crafted songs. Everything on this record - from Sade's goofy vocals, to the dull persuasion, and the soppy saxophone bollocks - is fucking terrible. This is one of those embarrassing 80s albums. 👎👎

Saxy and Smooth!

Fantastic album, smooth, funky, a pining and loving masterpiece. Possibly the best album so far.

Sade is such a phenomenal singer. This is a lovely jazz pop album.

I am fairly certain that I or at least one of my siblings was conceived to this album so I haven't really listened to it before this 🌚

This brought me back to when my sister listenes to this on her boombox. It is of a time and place. If you were there, this is peak mid 80’s.

OK. This is just a cool album made by a cool group.

No. 97/1001 Smooth Operator 5/5 Your Love Is King 5/5 Hang On to Your Love 4/5 Frankie's First Affair 4/5 When Am I Going To Make A Living 4/5 Cherry Pie 3/5 Sally 3/5 I Will Be Your Friend 3/5 Why Can't We Live Together 3/5 Average: 3,78 Really smooth album, loved her voice. Just lacked some musical diversity and some songs were a bit too long.

I listened to this on Friday, all I remember is r&b and not much else

Boring adult contemporary music. Better than I thought it was going to be, but I'm writing this 10 minutes after I finished listening, and I remember almost nothing about it. Best track: Why Can't We Live Together

The kind of music I expect to be playing in an empty hotel foyer at 1:30am

This album ultimately just didn't impress me. The vocals weren't very strong, the lyrics were kinda boring and the music faded into the background as "muzak" or cocktail lounge-y

This is more a fragrance than a record. A delightful fragrance, but thin on tunes that would sit comfortably outside the end credits of a London-set made-for-VHS gangster movie in the eighties. Simon, no prizes for guessing which of our project’s silent partners is a fan of this album.

If you like sex, this is a good album. If you like music, not so much. Polished and smooth, but also empty and soulless. Smooth Operator is a great track, but the rest is boring and forgettable.

Maybe you had to be there in the 89s to understand why people dislike this so much. Every damn song on the radio sounded like this shit. Smooth jazz/pop. Ugh.

Smooth. Loathed this at the time, quite enjoyed it this time. One of those that is good in its field, and evokes that time in music very well without sounding particularly dated.

If you did the lounge-y rhythms are dated you'd be half right. Bust them out now and they'd sound pretty rote, but that doesn't mean they aren't snazzy. The downer isn't the bongos, it's the description to boilerplate ratio, which (BS statistic coming up) is something like 3:7. More Sally, less Cherry Pie.

Yawn with a layer of cheese

Amazing debut

great album

This is so smooth. In addition to the more well-known favorites, "Cherry Pie" was great.

music for the soft and sensual sex

Awesome album

Nearly flawless.

This is a great palate cleanser after the Kanye album and pairs well with the group project as far as fully-formed and fantastic debuts that stand the test of time. An 80s album that doesn't sound like the 80s. A birthing ground for neo-soul. Smooth without being saccharine. Beyond tasteful: it's delicious.

Was für eine coole Music und dann diese sanfte Stimme dazu. Fast vergessen, aber immer noch großartig. Muss man sich wieder einmal öfters anhören. Diese Platte ist ebenfalls ein Meilenstein.

Absolutely slaps this so smooth and just no skips

Excellent

Damn that was super funky

Oh man. Silky-smooth sexy vocals over a funky, chill background? Yes, please. More, thanks.

Beautiful. I can & have listened to hours if Sade. Her voice is soft velvet.

Bought this on vinyl when it was first released way back in 1984. Awesome album and the production is stunning.

a perfect picture of the eighties and a solid collection of songs

Amazing! Love Sade’s vocals.

Wow! Now this is more like it! Beautiful!

Huge album when in high school. I may know every word to every song. We were taking about her this weekend.

A good mixture of funk, pop and soul. The lyrics could be abit repetitive but doesn’t stop it from being a top album. 9/10

Podre de chique.

one of the greatest albums ever

What a fantastic album. It is funky and smooth and it feels like I have to be doing some kind of physical activity while listening to it like dancing. Absolutely amazing to hear for the first time.

Nearly perfect

Música de tono medio; voz agradable de escuchar, muy melodiosa; bien acompañada por una buena banda; vocaliza bien; no interrumpe los pensamientos. Otros: Quincy Jones; Roberta Flack; George Michael; The Isley Brothers; Barry White; Donny Hathaway; Grace Jones; George Benson; Randy Crawford

Loved it

som relax, ótimo para ocasiões especiais

Smoooooooth.

Solid album.

Wow. Can't believe I've never thought to listen to this album considering how much of a staple Smooth Operator is in Ric's. What a masterpiece. So much big sax.

What a great album. The saxophone in the first few songs goes so hard. My favorite so far for sure. The time signature stuff in Frankie’s Affair has me confused and I wanna get to the bottom of it lol. Favorite song is Love Is King.

”Diamond Life” by Sade is a masterpiece that effortlessly blends together elements of jazz, soul, and pop to create a smooth and seductive sound that is unmistakably her own. From the opening notes of "Smooth Operator," it's clear that Sade is a force to be reckoned with. Her sultry voice floats over a bed of lush instrumentation, drawing the listener in and never letting go. Tracks like "Your Love Is King" and "Cherry Pie" showcase her ability to deliver soulful, heartfelt performances that are both intimate and powerful. The album's production is equally impressive, with a seamless mix of live instrumentation and electronic elements that add depth and texture to each song. The arrangements are meticulously crafted, with each instrument given its moment to shine while still supporting the overall groove and mood of the track. This album is sure to leave you feeling captivated and transported thanks to its timeless sound and Sade's impeccable artistry.

One word sums it up: EXQUISITE. This crossed over multiple hits lists, hitting so many categories.

Fantastic

Sublime, smooth, soothing and interesting. Everything I wanted to hear as an introduction to r&b. Happy this came into my life :)

One of the essential 80s romantic albums, with slightly melancholic undertones and that certain touch of neon. Close your eyes to this and you will see inner city streetlights and neon signs flashing by, hear the rustle of dimly-blue-lit satin sheets in a bedroom illuminated by a skyline through flowing white curtains. You get the picture. This album does too. Smooth Operator is an undisputable 80s classic. Pretty strong, considering it's Sade's debut.

Adore her and her voice. Background story about her is way more interesting than most people would assume because of her stunning looks. She worked incredibly hard to have the success she had. Great song choice here. She knocks it out of the park.

I didn't expect to give this five stars but then I listened to it and here we are.

Always fantastic. simple and groovy.

Мне кажется этот альбом не нуждается в описании. Несомненная классика , Sade восхитительна, шикарная женщина с замечательным альбомом. 100/100

Legendary.

As smooth as a fine scotch. I can’t get enough of her smoky voice. “Smooth Operator” has slowly worked its way up my list of favorite songs over the years. Any time I hear a cover of it on the radio or in a department store, the song makes me happy. And the original is incredibly seductive and sultry. The opening 1-2-3 punch of “Smooth Operator,” “Your Love is King” and “Hang On to Your Love” is really impressive and the record continues with a string of very strong album tracks. I’m loving this.

This album deserves 5 stars almost solely for Smooth Operator, fucking dynamite. And the smooth jams just keep on coming. Fantastic voice, and everything works together well, they found a sweet spot with this one, that despite sounding somewhat 80's transcends the decade because it's borrowing from other eras and the quality is high.

This was a banger album

Stylish, soulfully smooth, musically flawless, timeless album. I love every song on it. Fave Songs (All songs, from most to least favorite): Your Love Is King, Hang On to Your Love, Smooth Operator, Cherry Pie, I Will Be Your Friend, Why Can't We Live Together, When Am I Going to Make a Living, Sally, Frankie's First Affair

I could seriously listen to Sade all day long.

The Best!

Ahhh.. Good old smooth op... :)

Really liked it! I'd never heard of Sade before and I found some new gems.

Just incredible

Love it, jazzy pop songs. Right up my alley, would definitely listen to again.

super cool album, I’m a sucker for 80s pop like this, Anita Baker, Madonna, Mariya Takeuchi and Miki Matsubara are some of my other favorites - 10/10

So very good. Sade's voice is amazing and this entire album is a masterclass in storytelling. Great stuff.

An absolute masterpiece. Sade was a god of this shit.

Love. Love. Love.

Classic.

This was rad, I would like to put this on again.

smooth operator