Reviews (page 2 of 14)
oh my goddd YESSSS I've never heard this version of smooth operator but I love it sades music is absolutely timeless. the basslines go so hard favorites are: smooth operator, hang on to your love, cherry pie no skip album!!! also this is a Jojo reference!!!
This reminds me of late night radio when I was a kid. Very solid debut album. 4 stars
Absolute smooth, soulful, funk jazz. I’ve heard Sade’s hits before but had never listened to a full album and it was as good as expected. 4/5
gute Musik, komische Frau
Lovely and sultry, still a great album to listen to even forty plus years later. I may not have understood all the themes/lyrics when younger, but always appreciated the music for what it is. One I have definitely listened to before, but glad it came into the feed for this.
436/1089 okay i’m kinda hyped for this one and it kinda lived up to it! love the sensual 80s vibes, it doesn’t feel too dated (or dated in a bad way) i will probably revisit this faves: when am i going to make a living, why cant we live together, cherry pie, smooth operator 79/100
Smooth Operator est super, mais si l'album pouvait être autre chose que réinterpréter en boucle ce morceau, ce serait pas mal. Mention pour Sally qui propose quelque chose de différent.
"Smooth Operator" is an absolute banger. The rest is okay.
it's nice and relaxing and she clearly has a loving sould
A little flat energy but lovely to listen to
Never again pls
Ta bom.
Sechs Wochen, mehr hat Sade für Diamond Life nicht gebraucht. Aufgenommen 1983 in den Power Plant Studios in London – zu einem Zeitpunkt, an dem die britische Band noch nicht einmal einen Vertrag bei Epic Records hatte. Was dabei entstand, würde ich nicht einfach als Soul-Album abtun. Es ist eher eine Mischung aus Jazz, Pop und Soul, die später unter Etiketten wie Sophisti-Pop oder Smooth Jazz einsortiert wurde, weil ihr niemand so recht gerecht wurde. Produzent Robin Millar strich lieber, statt hinzuzufügen, und genau das hört man bis heute: Nichts an diesem Album klingt überladen. „Smooth Operator" kenne ich, glaube ich, seit ich denken kann – und trotzdem überrascht mich jedes Mal, wie unaufgeregt der Song bleibt, obwohl er alles hat, was einen Hit ausmacht. „Your Love Is King" wirkt dagegen fast zerbrechlicher, direkter. Bei „Hang On to Your Love" und „When Am I Going to Make a Living" merkt man, dass diese Band von Anfang an wusste, was sie nicht tun wollte. Kurios: Die Aufnahmen von „Smooth Operator" und „Your Love Is King", die man heute hört, sind unverändert die ersten Demos aus der Session – nie neu abgemischt. Millionenfach verkauft, 1985 mit dem Brit Award ausgezeichnet – die Zahlen erzählen die halbe Geschichte. Die andere Hälfte ist, dass das Album vierzig Jahre später nicht klingt wie ein Relikt seiner Zeit, sondern einfach wie gute Musik. Ein Debüt, das sich nicht beweisen musste und genau deshalb bis heute trägt.
Easy listen and enjoyable, although I think listening to this on a boat in the Caribbean would make it even better. Great voice and you gotta love the sax. Smooth Operator gets the notoriety here, but several other good songs. It’s definitely on the Yacht Rock playlist!
Sultry little album — hard not to feel like you’re the lead in a Casablanca-esque film when listening. Obviously knew Smooth Operator, but really glad I learned the rest of the songs exist.
Smooth operator was fun, but the rest was rather dull. Too much saxophone.
Smooth Operator was definitely the highlight of this album but I generally enjoyed all of it
this album was awesome
Surprised to see this album has quite a number of negative reviews, as far as I'm concerned this is one of the greatest albums of all time. It's silky smooth, Sade's voice is incredible and carries the jazz lounge aesthetic so far; overall this is an album I just can't help but love listening to. It's an album that knows exactly what it wants to be, and executes that vision near flawlessly.
80s ok
I liked this much more than I expected! Super smooth and so cool, great length that lends itself to multiple playthroughs… really nice 4/5
I think I'm too young for this, even though I'm very middle aged. It's very smooth. I'm sure there is a lot to appreciate on here. Sade's voice is lovely. This is just not my personal taste. Going with 3 stars and acknowledging that the problem is me...not Sade.
Actual Perfection; So nostalgic for me. I grew up on Sade and this album.
baffling. polished dogshit.
its just horny
didn't know that Smooth operator was singed by a woman, WOW
Definitely a stand-out album of the early 80’s from a classy artist. Great combination of jazzy arrangements that were/are danceable at the same time. 4
Pretty good maybe a bit more on the boring side but not in a bad way. I feel like this would be a good background album. Favourite song: I will be your friend
SMOOTH
So smooth, so polished. I understand why some find it bland, but to me it's just so relaxing with near-perfect production.
Blech
amazinggggg
Sade is smooth as ever, there aren't many voices as good as hers. This album is great, easy listening
One of the best soul jazz sophisti pop albums ever!!!
The sleeve design for Sade's "Diamond Life" was created by Graham Smith, with photography by Chris Roberts. A normal sort of sleeve for the era. Remembering Sade at St Martin's, it was a shock when she became famous, and perhaps we were in awe of her success. I always thought I really liked her voice, the songs and the music, but now I realise why none of us owned the album.
If the rest of the songs on this 1984 sophisti-pop record had the same mix of drama, glamo(u)r and emotion as standout track "Hang On To Your Love", this record would be 5-star. Alas, the other eight tracks don't come anywhere close - even singles from this album like "Smooth Operator" and "Your Love Is King" sound superficially good but lack the depth of "Hang On...".
smoooooooothhhhhh operatorrrrrrrrr i see why my friend said this album was good for taking nudes
First Listen Favorites: Smooth Operator Your Love Is King When Am I Going To Make A Living Honorable Mentions: Frankie's First Affair I Will Be Your Friend
Dette er bra shitt, men ikke nødvendigvis min favoritt om jeg skal høre på musikk. Den gjør seg godt som bakgrunnsmusikk på en rooftop cocktailbar. Første låta er jo banger da! Jeg har hørt gjennom og jeg syns det ble bedre og bedre. Ordentlig bra 90-talls jazz aktig bakgrunnsmusikk. Skal prøve å sette på dette på vors i kveld.
Liker smooth operator
Smooth operator er en legendarisk låt. Resten av albumet er litt samme stil, smooth men ikke storartet. for meg blir dette middels, 3 av 5
I had a very smooth breakfast today.... I know this from my youth due to the big hit "Smooth Operator" and few other chart singles. Very soft smooth jazz/pop very suitable for radio and music charts. It is very well crafted and produced. Actually this was quite a nice listen during breakfast, but it is so smooth and polished that it gets also a bit boring.
Smooth
One of the smoothest and grooviest voices ever. Crazy how old this record sounds a decade into the future
What godly album openers.
"Nice to meet you I'm Operator, Smooth Operator" - Carlos Sainz
A vibe
Sade's voice is so smooth that butter is described as smooth as Sade
feels like velvet
Smooth as hell. Great bass and a really nice voice. Could listen to this for a while.
One of those odd albums that people of my generation (in their teens or twenties when it came out) thought was very uncool, but people who are now at that same age absolutely love. I suppose the context is missing. In the 80s, this would have been daytime radio fodder along with all the other terrible chart music of the time, so my generation associate Sade with all that other shite. Today's young people judge it on its own merits, whereas I find it unlistenable. All I can hear after Smooth Operator is Dave Lee Travis telling the nation how much he enjoyed the song whilst touching up 15 year old girls off-camera on Top of the Pops. Fkn Hairy Cornflake 😡
Smooth operator - great Cherry pie- cool
I'm not sure if this album would be as famous if it weren't for Smooth Operator, but it's definitely not bad. Sugary sweet (as cherry pie, hehe), but too sweet for me.
What a beautiful voice, lovely listening experience
Smooth operator - 4 Your love is king - 3 Hang on to your love - 4 Frankie's first affair - 3 When am i going to make a living - 3 Cherry pie - 3 Sally - 3 I will be your friend - 3 Why can't we live together - 3
1. "Smooth Operator" 2. "Hang On to Your Love' 3. "Why Can't We Live Together?"
yeah this exists
Hermoso
Joda, "Smooth operator" er fin, men blir langtekkelig over et helt album.
Really nice 👌
4/5. Smooth Operator definitely is the highlight.
So THAT's who did the Smooth Operator song. Good to know, I'll toss that one on the list. If you like smooth and mellow music, this is the album for you. Very delightful. I recommend tossing this on if you got a date over and want to set the mood without the music being overbearing. Finish that bottle of wine in front of the fake fireplace, then make your move. It must be done, I don't make the rules here.
I like Smooth Operator, and the rest of this album was a smooth mellow listen.
Damn sexy
Ahmmmmm…
Going in only knowing Smooth Operator. I was gonna rate it a 3 star because it sounded like the kind of album you listen to while sipping a drink in a smokey dark blue-ish room with carpet flooring and vertical panel blinds in 1989 on a rainy early fall fall night while the alarm clock`s red-ish glow hits the wet window reflection at 1:37 AM but then I was like "holy shit, I wish I was listening to it while sipping a drink in a smokey dark blue-ish room with carpet flooring and vertical panel blinds in 1989 on a rainy early fall fall night while the alarm clock`s red-ish glow hits the wet window reflection at 1:37 AM" type shit.
Great album. Didn't know they were behind smooth operator and the rest is on par with it.
Really groovy production with strong vocals.
3.8 Strong, very consistent album but i think i couldve liked the songs more.
Uffa que joya
Taking a star off BC that version of Smooth Operator is bad but this is a banger album
1984 Smooth soul, sophisti-pop El mejor album de Sade. No hay canción mala.
Oooof... This is where that gross 80's sound meets and makes soul music even more miserable.
I can't help myself...I grew up with this.
Sade is great. They have some standouts, like (for me) Smooth Operator, Hang On to your Love, Frankie's First Affair. But this one isn't really my favorite. And, like with more albums, I kinda lose interest after the halfway mark.
Okay, the song “Sally” has me in tears. Cherry Pie is a bop.
3,5
I remember this album coming out. I was waiting to go into the Marines. I was also a punk, and preferred Black Flag and Gang of Four. However I also loved Prince. I had begun my journey into jazz with Dizzy Gillespie and Miles Davis. So I liked what I heard, even though I knew it wasn’t jazz but a soul with jazz inflections. This made for great mood music. While I prefer her third album Stronger than Pride, this album has many memories. She has a distance in her voice that can feel cold, yet warm energy flows thru it. There was nothing like Sade in 1984. The third person portrayals, which tell stories that aren’t judgmental even if they are surgically precise. Aretha was my previous listen here, and there’s no comparison as to vocal skills, but Sade’s confidence creates the ambiance that these stories deserve. The last song asks why can’t we be together? Together. It’s the only rhetorical moment of an album that maintains a detachment throughout. By the way, why Diamond Life?
me encanta SADE
3,5
Sade – Diamond Life (1984) On Day 256, this was the absolute perfect way to start the week. The record is irresistibly groovy, satisfying every corner of the ear thanks to Sade’s timeless vocal presence. Whether navigating soul, pop, jazz, or rhythm and blues, the album delivers across the board with top-tier production quality. Opening with "Smooth Operator" is unbeatable, that subtle bossa-nova touch paired with her serenading voice is truly generational. "Your Love Is King" remains my personal favorite; even long before this challenge, that track made me adore the band with its pristine crooning craft and sleek lounge atmosphere. Aside from "Sally," the rest of the album is sheer perfection. Built on total consistency, pristine arrangements, and a timeless feel, this can't score anything below top marks. A flawless 5/5.
Brilliant moments and filler as well. Their great work comes later.
have you ever heard anything smoother?
There's only one Sade. One of the best debut albums of all-time. And it's not even my favorite Sade album (Love Deluxe). The epitome of less is more.
Aural silk, smooth as honey and, despite it's attempts at icy detachment, utterly charming.
Listened to it while running. Did not like it. It is a vibe, but none of the songs stood out.
She's the absolute GOAT... can't believe there's only one of her albums on here
just the nicest and most pleasant music ever.. I need to listen to all their albums!
Heard before?:❌️/✔️(not entirely) Will listen again?:✔️ 3.5
Kicking myself for not listening to any Sade sooner. This scratches that same itch that a lot of 80s city pop does for me. Potential grower. Rating: 8/10 (for now)
It is crazy how stuck in your head smooth operator can get. Very pleasant album. Really really enjoyed. Great production and musicianship. Songwriting js maybe a B-. I think a comfortable four stars.
I’m a Smooth Oper-hater so this one got off to a rough start. The whole first half of the album really just lives in that same area but around when we get to When Am I Going to Make a Living it really starts to find a better funky rhythm. Then it’s slips back into Smooth Operator territory a bit at the end. Glad I gave Sade a chance but this album is always going to be a skip a good chunk for me.
First time I'm diving into a full Sade album, and I can see why I admired her/their work only from a distance. Perfect radio music, but once you start listening more intently, you hear the flaws. Sade's voice is beautiful, but the accompanying music is inoffensively bad, so all the songs, bar Smooth Operator, sound the same to me. It's all too polite without a lot of moments that make you think "damn, this is good". It's too clean and sterile, much like the cafe this usually plays in.
Super saxo mais wow qu’est ce que c’est répétitif
It starts so strongly, I was fully ready to pair an off-the-shoulder top with a bold red lip and throw a 1980s yuppie dinner party, but by the end I was getting a bit bored with it.
Super solid, but not really my vibe
What an incredible voice with some great songs and musicians backing her. I often forget about her when thinking of great female singers. Not anymore. Her voice is wonderful enough to carry any song.
you gave me the diamond life, diamond lifeeeee
This blend of smooth jazz, sax and an unconventional voice just works. Great vibes all the way through.
Sade seems to me like the perfect singer and artist for the kind of breezy, cool, seductive R&B and Bossa Nova-esque music that she makes. Because of this, Diamond Life sounds incredibly polished and refined, almost like Sade was made specifically for this kind of music. The record goes by smoothly and time flies fast, it has that kind of chic 80s saxophone sparkle that defined the time period. Really, this album embodies cool in every sense, jazzy, lush, calm and sensual. There are few musicians out on this planet that can aspire to be as cool as someone as Sade Adu.
I'm being hit hard with neo-soul and neo-soul precursors recently and I dont like it. Smooth Operator is great and all but this is very samey to me. I'm not the audience. Weirdly think some of these would transition well to disco music. 2.5/5. Raising to 3.
Amazing debut from the band Sade fronted by the singer Sade. Legendary.
This holds up.
I really enjoyed this album. Velvety smooth and nice to listen to, with smooth operator being the clear standout.
Not my kind of album.
chill music and previously known (could be biased).
Blir bare litt kjedelig
I only knew the first two songs which are gorgeous expensive odes to men who Fuck. but there are also several other good songs for men who cannot fuck.
ahead of her time
It’s Jazzy and it’s cool but not some of Sade best. Still a solid album but sometimes I feel the songs blend in one another with it not being as sonically distinct as I would want. The tracks that I do like on her do save the record because at its strongest it gives you some really good R&B and pop. Fav songs: smooth operator, your love is king, hang on to your love, sally, and why can’t we live together
Really liked it.
Smooth Operator is a classic and a good description for how this album feels. Solid 3.5/5.
Solid smooth jazz
I went into Diamond Life carrying a fair bit of baggage from 1984. At the time, Sade seemed inseparable from The Face, Robert Elms and a particular kind of aspirational consumer culture. I was involved in grassroots community theatre in a small Lincolnshire market town, making deliberately rough-and-ready music with whatever was available, and listening to things like the Three Johns. Sade appeared to come from another world entirely: immaculate, sophisticated and apparently designed for people who knew which wine to order. It felt like two tribes. Strip away that cultural baggage, though, and Diamond Life is an extraordinarily accomplished debut — and considerably more muscular than I remembered. “Smooth Operator” immediately surprised me. There’s real bite to it: jagged electric-piano stabs, Stuart Matthewman’s saxophone and Paul Denman’s bass grumbling insistently underneath. This isn’t music politely waiting to be admired. It has enough sonic pressure to take possession of a room. That bass became one of the revelations of the album. On “Hang On to Your Love”, the lyric argues for persistence in a relationship while Denman’s bass seems almost to argue back, worrying away underneath it like the troubled relationship itself. These arrangements are too intelligent simply to illustrate the words. They complicate them. Sade Adu’s singing works similarly. She has a wonderful habit of leaning off notes rather than onto them. Where another singer might emphasise emotion by pushing harder, she sometimes lets the voice become ragged or slightly unstable. There’s a moment in “Frankie’s First Affair”, just before the saxophone solo, where a high note seems almost to escape her control. But surrounded by playing this precise, it obviously hasn’t escaped anything. The loss of control is itself controlled. That became one of the keys to the record for me. The early demos were apparently much rougher and closer to free jazz and funk. Robin Millar’s production pares that down until every remaining gesture matters. Less becomes more. Control brings freedom. Adu’s background at Saint Martin’s makes perfect sense in that context. Fashion students understand that placement is everything: apparently trivial decisions about proportion, space and what you leave out can be the result of enormous thought. Diamond Life sounds like that. A keyboard stab here, a tiny guitar chop there, a backing vocal placed exactly where it changes the emotional balance. Millar’s production makes those decisions beautifully legible. But the polish turns out to be a delivery mechanism, rather like the strings on Lennon’s Imagine. It makes the argument attractive enough to get through the door. And the argument, unexpectedly, is kindness. Not niceness. Not sentimentality. Kindness with stamina. Again and again these songs return to constancy, commitment and care. “Hang On to Your Love” tells you not to abandon a relationship when it becomes difficult. “Frankie’s First Affair” looks at the consequences of treating somebody carelessly. “I Will Be Your Friend” then puts the singer on the other side of the equation: having demanded persistence from others, she promises it herself. She’ll be there. She walks the walk. “When Am I Going to Make a Living” was where my understanding of the album really shifted. The title apparently originated when Adu was broke enough for money to be a serious daily concern, and the band themselves were hardly living the Diamond Life. Yet here they are making one of the most expensive-sounding British records of the period. “I’m hungry, but I won’t give in.” That line changes the meaning of the polish completely. This isn’t the sound of people displaying what they possess. It’s the sound of people insisting upon standards regardless of what they possess. You can have two plates to eat off and still make beautiful artistic choices. You can be skint and sound expensive. And then comes “Sally”. In another context, a sophisticated soul-jazz band singing earnestly about the Salvation Army could be as naff as all hell. Instead, “Sally” feels like the centre of Diamond Life. It follows “When Am I Going to Make a Living”, and that sequencing matters. First: I’m struggling, I’m hungry, and I’m determined to get out of this. Then: what about the people for whom things have gone even more badly? “She’s doing our dirty work.” That is the line around which the album seems to pivot. Sade aren’t congratulating themselves for caring. They point towards the person who is actually out on the streets doing the caring. Nor is “Sally” saying, “Look where we came from.” It’s closer to an acknowledgement that this is how pear-shaped things can go. Success is contingent. Escaping precarity doesn’t make you fundamentally different from somebody who didn’t. And that is where Diamond Life parts company with the culture I associated it with in 1984. The problem was never aspiration itself. This is a fiercely aspirational record: it values achievement, beauty, discipline, style and success. Adu clearly wasn’t interested in romanticising poverty. She wanted somewhere better to go. What it rejects is the gaucheness of Thatcherism: the vulgarity of making aspirationalism uncaring. Get on, certainly. But getting on doesn’t absolve you of responsibility towards people who haven’t. Escape hardship without deciding that those still experiencing it somehow deserve their position. Don’t pull the ladder up behind you. That makes it rather wonderful that Diamond Life became such a soundtrack to precisely the aspirational consumer culture I mistrusted. You could take this fantastically tasteful record home to your beautifully appointed living room and discover that the bloody thing was quietly arguing against you becoming indifferent to everyone outside it. Finally Sade cover Timmy Thomas’s “Why Can’t We Live Together”, and the album’s moral horizon expands again. What began with persistence between individuals, moved through personal hardship and then outward towards social care, finishes with the simplest possible question about collective existence. And again it doesn’t point the finger. It nags. Those shifts between major and minor keep the song unsettled, and its slow insistence gradually becomes almost triumphal. The question itself becomes the argument. So yes, as a British response to quiet storm, Diamond Life is remarkably sophisticated. The band already know who they are in a way that is almost preposterous for a debut. There’s no sense of musicians throwing different identities at the wall to see what sticks. The musical grammar is already complete. But after listening properly, “sophisticated” isn’t the word I’d finally choose for it. Diamond Life is a kind album. An album about kindness to people you love, kindness to people less fortunate than you, and the persistence required to keep being kind when indifference would be easier. It understands that kindness isn’t softness. It’s something you persist in doing.
Vaca catch up
2-3 really good songs and the rest are okay too. Decent album.
(2/5) This is musical artificial sweetener. So, I discovered on a road trip that when I eat foods with certain artificial sweeteners I get really gassy and bloated and then have.. other issues.. in due time. It's like the sweeteners coat my insides with teflon and just let everything slide through as fast as it can. Sade just coats the music with teflon and it all just slides through you. Nothing really sticks and it just leaves you feeling bloated. I'll shit this out later and regret listening to it. It might seem sweet at first, but it's the 'afterwards' that gets you. I've heard "Smooth Operator" what feels like countless times, and each time it's nice and sweet then later I feel dirty for hearing it. The canned, tinny sounds and wailing sax just don't sit right with me on reflection. This a whole album of "Smooth Operator" and that is why this is the musical equivalent of artificial sweetener.
Goodness gracious this one was boring. Every time it seemed about to get interesting with a funky bassline or groovy guitar riff, it felt like someone suffocated it with a pillow to drag it right back into the monotonous mall music niche it was produced to fill. Nothing here is offensive, mind you, there just isn't enough to keep your attention or prevent it from sliding right into the background where it seems to want to be. I can see the appeal, I just don't feel it, and it slides in at a 2.5/5 that I don't care to round up.
186. Diamond Life - Sade (1984) 8.27.26 Variety: 3 Adequacy: 5 Listenability: 4 Uniqueness: 3 Emotionality: 2 = 3.4 rounded down to a 3 "No place for beginners or sensitive hearts/ The sentiment is left to chance/ No place to be ending but somewhere to start" Sade is an artist who I've come to appreciate more than love. Already very familiar with the huge single, I picked this up in a lot of records I bought and didn't much care for it on first listen, other than the hit. I then listened to a LOT more 80s "sophisti-pop" stuff and a LOT more modern jazz and R&B, and ended up revisiting it years later, long after I'd since sold the album. I liked it quite a bit more in with all that context, and while it didn't jump up into my favorites, I was able to see the appeal. I think whether you comes at this as slow motion disco for corporate raiders, or as somewhat funky, aspirational R&B all depends on your point of view I think. THE TRACKS "Smooth Operator" - When I was a kid, this was still ALL over the radio and the music video was still on rotation, at least on VH1. My only context for what a "operator" was had to do with telephones, so this tale of a high priced gigolo or whatever he is sailed fully above my head at the time. Now when I hear this, I'm picturing a Tom Ripley-esque, sociopathic conman, living the jet set life while leaving a trail of broken hearts behind him. This was catchy as hell back then, and remains so. Sade's delivery is smooth and sensual, and while full of expression and emotion, it's subdued and world weary. This song was the definition of "classy" pop, and because it opens the album, it maybe sets up some unattainable expectations that the rest of the album. "Your Love Is King" - Much lighter, and a LOT more romantic and fluffy. This was fine stuff, even if it suffers a bit from the laid back and sparse feel. Soulful and with some great hooks and a pretty vocal melody. For a hint of the warmness and emotion that's buried under the somewhat sterile production, check out the performance of this from Live Aid in 1985: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwDjJP_l5AY "Hang On to Your Love" - This was the other song I remember hearing before I ever threw the whole album on. I think maybe because it also had another cinematic music video. The driving rhythm on this is pretty danged cool, and we get another catchy multitracked lead vocal from Sade, and an assist from some funky scratch guitar licks. This is like a disco song as filtered through molasses, and just as sickly sweet. Easily the most danceable track yet. "Frankie's First Affair" - Not a stinker by any means, but the first one that falls just slightly flat for me. A tale of someone in over their head, Sade excels at the very straightforward and tight storytelling yet again, but the saxophone and the mechanical rhythms put me in mind of similar feeling stuff by Steely Dan that I don't much care for. They almost win me back with the bridge, but not quite. Too sedate, and not enough hooks. "When Am I Going to Make a Living" - The band steps on the funk pedal a bit for this one, leaning into latter day Marvin Gaye terrirtory with the instrumentation. This ode to self reliance in the face of hardship lands pretty well, in no small part to the great vocals, and Sade gets help here from the guys in the it sounds like in the harmonies. "Cherry Pie" - The funk is gonna stick around a bit it seems, especially in the great bassline and wah-wah guitar, and "Theme From Shaft" cymbals. This one felt like much more of a showcase for the players, as Sade seems to leave a lot more room for them to do their thing. That second bridge is where the song finally evolves into its full form. "Sally" - Things slow down here for a several brief, sad portraits of some people fallen on hard times in the big city. This works pretty well for what it is, with another very solid core vocal melody, and maybe Sade's most emotional delivery yet. It's a bummer of a track though, and could see it bringing the energy down way too far for some. While musically unsimilar, I'm reminded of "Smalltown Boy" by Bronksi Beat, in the tone and bit of sad biographical storytelling. "I Will Be Your Friend" - The saxophone has not irked me very much on this album despite my general dislike for it, especially in the realm of smooth jazz that this album dances around. Here though it finally starts to wear a bit. I think in combo with the synthy keyboards, it's a bit more exposed. This is a bit too far on the "lite" end of things instrumentally, and I think sounds the most dated of any of the tracks on here. It's not garbage by any means though. Sade rescues it a bit, especially in that third verse where the band finally throws some real energy into things. "Why Can't We Live Together" - Things end strongly though, with this sparse, bossa-nova infused cover of a Timmy Thomas soul track, which I think does it a good amount of justice. Timmy Thomas original: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYx2uZRlJCk HIGHLIGHTS - "Smooth Operator" - "Your Love Is King" - "Hang On to Your Love" - "When Am I Going to Make a Living" - "Cherry Pie" - "Sally" - "Why Can't We Live Together" MIDLIGHTS - "Frankie's First Affair" - "I Will Be Your Friend" LOWLIGHTS - FINAL THOUGHTS What remains clear on this listen is that this is music for adults. It's not concerned with getting you too needlessly excited about anything in particular. This is the kind of music 30-something yuppies in 1984 would pay too much money to see at a nightclub. It's a sultry jazz pop act for those with champagne wishes and caviar dreams. But... it's also an impeccably performed ad produced piece of jazzy R&B and smooth soul, that has had an outsized influence on a lot of modern performers, well into the 2010s. Sade's icy smooth vocals on this album at first glance might make you think her heart is cold, much like the protagonist of her biggest hit, but there's plenty of emotion in her voice. It's just subdued and delivered with such a casual smoothness, and the energy in it is brought down even lower by the ultra slick production and equally ice cool playing, so that the overall effect seems sapped of real life. I can see this turning a lot of people off, who might find this to be bland, boring, and lifeless. But that feel is also part of what makes it work. Sade's too cool for you, and what she's selling is mature, and sophisticated, and what it lacks in groove, it makes up for in its icy perfection. Sade and her band are forever behind the velvet rope, to be simultaneously admired and despised. Overall, the too-polished production and the languid pace are what work least for me. I think Sade's voice is pretty iconic, the lyrics are great, the playing is all around excellent (if rendered a bit inorganic by that production) and there are plenty of catchy bits and nice rhythms to be had. It was a very pleasant and easy listen. With more spins I think this is one that I could see myself aging into, but I don't think it would ever be able to make the top tier for me. I would love to hear what this album would sound like as a Tiny Desk concert or in some more intimate live situation. I think a warmer, brighter, looser version of this would earn it an extra star at the very least. The few live in concert videos I could find indicate that this would be likely. Sade - Your Love Is King (Live Aid 1985): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwDjJP_l5AY PLAYLIST ALTERATIONS - Keep the highlights FURTHER LISTENING - Rapture by Anita Baker - Café Bleu by The Style Council - Eden by Everything But the Girl - Who Can You Trust? by Morcheeba - Baduizm by Erykah Badu - Who Is Jill Scott? Words and Sounds Vol. 1 by Jull Scott
This feels like the most Adult Contemporary album to ever Adult Contemporary. It’s Easy Listening Adult Contemporary. I kinda remember Smooth Operator as a single back when I was a kid. It left very little impression on me though. This was an album of well done forgettable tracks. Those sax parts were kinda cool though. 2/5
Pretty good! I was digging it.
Not bad as background music but didn’t pull me in… 2.6
Pretty great! Smooth, funky, and soulful. 8/10 Most Excellent
God Sade is so freaking cool. I'm honestly shocked to learn that this is the only Sade record to make the list (including user submitted) as Love Deluxe is one of my all time favorites (and I believe it's a slightly better record). Though I'm happy that at least one of their albums did, and it's a damn good one. So silky smooth, filled to the brim with no skips. The richness of Sade's vocals are the real glue that elevates the experience. Really awesome. Fav Songs Smooth Operator Your Love Is King Cherry Pie Is it Top 1001 Worthy (is it essential)? Yes Yes Yes. Sade is a real pioneering woman in music that with her band made some of the coolest songs around. Filled with many hits and understated gems, would recommended a listen soon (and Love Deluxe even more as well as you can never have too much Sade).
Elevator music summed up
My love for Sade started at around 8 years old. I love her and this album. That voice is unmatched. Diamond life was already in my library
I am not equipped to rate this as I don't enjoy this kind of music, but it sounds very competent.
Sade came out swinging. Not their best album but pretty damn close. If you’re not jamming to “Smooth Operator” we’re probably looking for different things in music.
*68 Det smager virkelig godt, men når man har fået nok af det samme, så bliver lidt ensformigt.
Som Silas engang sagde: Det svinger! Link for reference :) : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4VbdnHL35o
Tja, ikke hendes bedste, ikke hendes værste. Det er okay, men også lidt "for" lækkert på en Steely Dan-agtig måde 3.0
virkelig lækkert, men også virkelig meget et barn af sin tid
An enjoyable listen and when it hits its highs almost perfect. The biggest high for me is the opener though and what comes after seem like attempts to recreate that and there aren’t the emotional dynamics of a truly great record.
It's summer of 1984, Friday. Your office has a window looking to the West Coast. God it's hot. Evening sun is filtering through the cigarette smoke-stained blinds onto your desk full of stock reports and potential client portfolios. You drag in the last of your Benson & Hedges and watch the trail of cars crawl like ants down the highway in the distance. God it's hot. The phone rings and you know it's the last one of the day. Your ground advisor says your week-end stock market options are up 8% and you can enjoy the weekend on a positive note. Maybe you'll get a drink in the lobby on the way out - flirt with the bartender - maybe try out the new club that just opened down the street. You'll decide later, right now it's just taking it all in. Sade's "Diamond Life" plays over your Walkman and you can't help but smile. What a feeling. What a memory. Best not spoil it by thinking about work. Happy Friday corporate America. God it's hot... Time to celebrate. 8/10
Muse
Super smooth, viņas dziesmas ir daudz labāk klausīties individuāli, miksējot ar citiem artistiem imo, jo bišķīt saplūst visas tās dziesmas kopā
It was beautiful smooth soulful jazz, but the only song I remember is "Smooth Operator", and that was because it had major radio play in the 80's. The rest was good, but not memorable.
Not my cup of tea. Solid album, but will disappear from my memory rather quickly unfortunately. 5/10
Begint leuk met een heerlijk nummertje. Daarna klonk eigenlijk alles als smooth operator. Leuk dat ik 'when am i going to make a living' ken. Geen idee hoe
sla, só curto smooth operator dela msm, toda a carreia dela parece uma sombra dessa única música.
Decent cup of tea
B+
I like Sade! But this whole album in a row was like boring kind of
First two songs make the album, then it kinda fades to background music. 3.5
Smooth Operator obviously a banger but unfortunately the rest is trying and failing to hit those heights. Ah well! an extra star because it was fine to have on.
A almost perfect album for me!! Wish I could do 4 and a half but alas
Music like this makes life worth living. Sets the mood, takes you on a smooth wonderful jazzy trip, and you get to listen to Folasade Adu sing all the way there. As good as it gets.
Ridiculously smooth. I like it. That’s about it. It’s got a really pretty sound though, Cherry Pie is my personal favourite
perfect
Very smooth. Contains the acclaimed "Smooth Operator". The 44 minutes go by in an instant.
Good but all the songs sound very similar.
Will try to overcome my existing opinion that is 80s muzak. It's tough, smooth operator is nice enough, but it quickly blands it way into the background. So smooth and clean and sleepy. 2.5 rounded up 3 Heard before? Some Owned: No, 103/388 (26%) Will I get: No
Sade! Впервые узнал о ней году в 16, по моему, когда захотелось узнать семпл с обожаемой мной "ブート" с альбома Floral Shoppe (привет всем выжившим любителям vaporwave кстати, ЛУЧШЕЕ ВРЕМЯ В ИНТЕРНЕТЕ ЕВЕР) ну да ладно, я отвлекся. Tar Baby - крутая песня. Но она с Promise, а у нас тут речь о Diamond Life. Ну что тут сказать? Это балдёж. Как уже стало известно, благодарю этому сайту, мне нравится софисти-поп. Красивейший голос, джазец, воздушные аранжировки, соул, духовые, вечерняя атмосфера большого города, ну кайф. Жаль что тупые нормисы слегка опошлили имя коллектива и певицы нейроговном высранным какими-то дурачками в текущем году.
Not really my speed
Great vibes. Pretty good overall. Not the right album for every situation, but a great album for certain situations. Although this album was a somewhat discordant one to listen to over my lunch break at work during a hectic day after being gone a few days. Or maybe it’s exactly what I needed in these circumstances.
Real real smooth, smooth as an android’s bottom. One I don’t have but wouldn’t mind adding to my collection.
Pleasant enough. I’ve never really been into Sade, but have heard plenty, as Shea is a fan.
Listened
Absolute silk. I thought that this was over-produced 80's gloss but it's really very stripped back with excellent bass and a very light touch percussion. Much less brass that you'd have expected. Just leaves Sades breathy voice to do all the work.
Nice record with smooth (no pun intended) production, but thematically quite similar across the whole thing. Favourite tracks: Your Love Is King, Hang On to Your Love, Frankie's First Affair, When Am I Going to Make a Living.
Not my cup of tea
Lmao @ getting Pantera yesterday and now smooth jazz/pop today. This website do be silly at times. This level of smoothness and polish isn't typically my cup of tea, but I can set those feelings aside and state that this record is objectively incredibly well made, and exudes an immense COOL factor. Sade Adu's vocals command every song, and the musicianship is about as tight as it gets. "Smooth Operator" is an all-time classic, but I also really enjoyed the grooviness of "Cherry Pie"
Peak. She did that to em
oh hell yeah
HELL YEAH
If you can't appreciate sticking this one on of a morning whilst you drink a nice cuppa, then I just don't know what to do with you.
It was fine
sade is a fuck*ng genius
Brings back memories…
I’ll be honest, I was a bit disappointed when this was my album for today. Prior to listening my knowledge of Sade began and ended at Smooth Operator, and seeing that it’s the opening track I was preparing for a bit of a let down with the following tracks. But honestly, I enjoyed this album. It’s not one I’ll probably come back too, but it’s smooth, soulful and just the right amount of jazzy. I can imagine this being played at dinner parties through the late 80’s and early 90’s. Smooth Operator is great, also really enjoyed Cherry Pie which I think is the best song on the album. A few of the songs do outstay their welcome a bit, but their wasn’t a track I felt overly compelled to skip. Can really hear that alot of modern artists like Arlo Parks and Celeste being influenced by this album.
Some very 80s production, but it was the 80s. The voice is timeless though.
dont play with me SADE IS THE OG BRO. cant believe they actually recommend bangers.
After listening to the previous album, this actually sounded interesting. The best song featured the saxophone, but they all had the same secret sauce.
Smooth, sensual, a little slow, but decidely sophisticated. Very 80's but in a good way. No other Smooth Soul ever sounded so beautiful and tasteful, considering this genre is notoriously cheesy and full of schlock. I guess brits do it better. Key tracks: Smooth Operator Your Love Is King
Das Sade-Album mit "Smooth Operator". Unverwechselbare Stimme. 4/5
Doesn't end as strong as it starts
Not really a genre I’m familiar with, but had a nice listen
Smooth, easy on the ears, great voice. Not my cup of tea, though. After the first couple of tracks it remains background music. Good production, which nods the album to 3 stars
You were learning to walk when this album came up, so to watch you lift your arms and dance to smooth operator is a highlight. This album is beautiful, soulful and tells so many stories. Sade voice and delivery is amazing and something to explore.
It seems that Sade is quite polarizing from the comments I just read. I don’t quite understand why that is: there is nothing wrong with the music, though I found it to be less memorable than I would like. Also, it feels like a situational album, one for a candlelit dinner date night. For my ratings, the music needs to touch me somehow, but Diamond Life simply doesn’t. I love Sade’s vocals, the instrumental playing is great, but it’s not my style today. 3 stars
In 1984 pop radio was drowning in synthesizer hooks and hyper caffeinated drum machines. Into that neon noise walked Sade Adu using silence as an instrument and space as a luxury good. The press immediately decided this was yuppie music, which Sade found so distressing she retreated from public life entirely. She was right to be annoyed. Smooth Operator is not yuppie music. It is just very good music that yuppies also happened to own, which is not the same thing and not the artist's fault. The band recorded fifteen songs in six weeks at Power Plant Studios in London, selected nine, and delivered an album that won Best British Album at the 1985 BPI Awards, sold six million copies worldwide, and influenced every sophisticated soul and neo R&B artist that followed. All of that happened in six weeks. Most bands spend six weeks arguing about the snare sound. In 1984 I would have probably given this was a 4. Heard now it sits in the elegant company of things that were genuinely radical in their restraint and now simply sound like themselves, which is a fate that befalls sophistication more often than noise. The 3 is my honest feeling today. 3 out of 5. All three stars awarded to Smooth Operator, Your Love Is King, and the audacity of making silence sound expensive in the loudest decade in pop history.
what a sexy album. I feel romanced just by putting it on in the background
I don't mind the smooth jazz, but does sound a little samey by the end of the album. Wasn't a fan of the vocals on the album, but wasn't sure if I just didn't like her voice or if it just didn't fit with the album. 2/5
Typical nightclub music, a fantastic female voice, a beautiful dress, a cocktail or two, a sensual atmosphere—all this comes to mind when I listen to the music. It has a jazzy feel—definitely not the kind of pop that dominated the 80s. You can hear real instruments and interesting shifts in rhythm. A great saxophone features throughout—something I love anyway. In my youth, this record certainly had no chance at all, but now, after all my musical experiences and listening escapades, it is an exceptionally good album that I will certainly enjoy listening to again and again.
Chill album, great accompaniment to an old scotch
Favourite Songs: Smooth Operator Cherry Pie
Sweet and soulful, Diamond Life by Sade is a well done example of 80s R&B. That said, I wasn’t really a fan overall. Her voice is sultry and full, but the bass and drums are both dated and boring. Add the keyboard and, I think, lead guitar, and this album feels pretty weak. The smooth jazz saxophone also feels silly nowadays. That said, I enjoy Smooth Operator, and Sally was a well crafted and meaningful song. So I give it 3/5.
10. avgust 2026. 14.18h i am ALWAYS in a place of idgafing with Sade mislim kao fino je i sve ali ne mogu da se povezem sa njenom muzikom znam 4 pjesme sa ovog albuma i od tih pjesama ako nikad vise ne cujem smooth operator it will be too soon, ostale tri su dobre
C'est pas que c'est nul, c'est qu'au bout de 10 minutes j'avais un peu l'impression d'être dans une boucle infinie.
Sade is a great vocalist. There weren't too many songs I'd revisit
Opens with one of the best songs of all time, and the rest is a vibe!
Didn’t realise this album was from so long ago. Assumed it was maybe very late 90s! Not really my vibe and to me just sounded there
As good as easy listening smooth jazz can get. 3/5
GREAT. wow. fuckin love sade
It's cute
got déja vu reading about sade like how do i know this??? then saw the first track is smooth operator and suddenly remembered going down a wikipedia rabbit hole with my friends about that song. unconventional addition to the genre of songs where you can hear the accent. this is good. i don't know if it's reaching great, but enjoyable enough. '80s easy listening. i know that joan armatrading isn't categorized in the soul/quiet storm genre, but tbh she does it better. the thing is, i love thunderstorms. tornadoes. thunder & lightning. deluge of rain. the whole shebang. now i certainly appreciate the huge thunderstorm in the distance, some of the most beautiful lightning you'll ever see is when you're watching a midwest thunderstorm from a distance. you know that if you were 10 miles farther, you'd be in for it, but all you hear are rumblings of the apocalypse. but... if the storm never makes it your way, then it's kinda disappointing. like, all that, for nothing? all that to say, quiet storm is all well and good but i need a freakin crescendo.
i mean its sade ofc its good
Highly enjoyed this.
Fully expected to give a 1 or 2, but this wasn’t bad. It is a touch too long.
Smooth Operator is a banger but the rest of the album was mostly so-so for me
I bought this on vinyl to have something my girlfriend would tolerate, and then I ended up listening to it over and over again.
*Borat voice* very niiice
Smooth as hell
One of the most perfect releases for almost any occasion. It’s a timeless classic.
- The best things about this album for me is Sade's cool, sultry voice and the smooth vibe of the album overall. - I'm definitely here for the resurgence of Smooth Operator. - The album seems pretty front loaded... I was getting kind of tired of it by Cherry Pie. - The instrumentation felt on the basic side - some nice moments, but mostly it felt dated... especially the tone of the instruments.
This album is straight sensual.
It depends I guess on how much you enjoy jazz and honey vocals. I do, very much so. But there, it turns off the critical analytical brain, and I'm immediately in a candle lit atmosphere. And you can say whatever you'd like about it being elevator music or whatever, but that's a ride to the top of sexyness, and you, angry little sad sack, are left behind.
100/10 SADE MI MÁXIMA
Dirge.
Красивая музыка под фон, но если слушать их внимательно, то мне уже становится скучно. Чисто за smooth operator до 4 хватило
Классно
не скажу, что весь альбом ровный, но удовольствие я от него точно получил - 4
Linda e sensual voz. Lindo e sensual baixo. Lindo e sensual saxofone, às vezes. Combinação maravilhosa, descolada, o epítome de “legal”. Gostoso e reconfortante. Certamente um caso especial na música Pop, onde a artista vigente é extremamente talentosa e sortuda o suficiente pra ter uma banda de acompanhamento que é igualmente talentosa e que brilhantemente realça os melhores pontos da vocalista. Um casamento ideal e muito satisfatório. A ambientação dessas faixas é incrível, é um disco verdadeiramente relaxante e lindo. Muito belo e bem feito. 4.5/5
Sade's debut is smooth and gentle soul mixed with a perfect blend of club like jazz. This whole album feels like a breeze and really brushes by with no problems at all. This album may not be the most engaging and exciting listen but it has some of the best 80's soul I've heard. I really don't have much to say other then please go check this project out because it'll ease it's way into your mind and stick there for a while.
3/6
Diamond Life From 70s smooth to 80s smooth, from flugelhorns and woodwinds to keyboards, synths and 5 string basses, and another very good album. Through the 90s I don’t think I could have countenanced listening to this, let alone enjoying it as much as I did. It’s clearly of its time, but evocatively so, conjuring a kind of transatlantic mid 80s yuppiedom brilliantly, but it also has a bit of bite and edge under the suaveness - it doesn't have the vacuousness or meaningless of someone like Simply Red for example Smooth Operator, Your Love is King and Hang On To Your Love are a superb opening duo, the percussion and bass on Smooth Operator giving it a superb snaking dynamism, and the bass and disco-soul guitars on Hang On To Your Love are great. Frankie’s First Affair loses me a little, but I really like When Am I Going to Make a Living, and Cherry Pie has an excellent groove, with some tasteful wah touches. Sally’s jazzy soul also loses me a little, compared to the other songs, but it picks up again with the smooth and slippery I Will Be Your Friend and the excellent Why Can’t We Live Together, I love the groove and keyboard stabs. Even if there are a couple of songs I’m less keen on, the album has superb mood, a kind of fluid sinuousness, but, for me, with enough depth and feeling to avoid the mere 80s cocktail lounge jazz accusations. I think that’s helped by her voice - it’s not conventionally smooth or sweet, it has a great sense of everyday genuineness, as well as a sophisticated edge, keeping the songs from floating off into insignificance. 4. 💎💎💎💎
'Smooth Operator' is one of those tracks that embodies the 80s like few others. An insouciant slice of lounge pop, with a great bass solo, into a great sax solo. Such building blocks shouldn't be compatible with being listenable, yet this smashes it out the park. 'Your Love is King' is just as good. I don't think Sade is a person who's ever been angry, and this track is just like a relaxing bubble bath on a Sunday night. The bass and sax combo on 'Sally', alongside the jazz inflected singing and occasional trumpet for flavour, conjure up a lonely detective in the city. It's very nostalgically 'late-night in the 80s'. 'Frankie's First Affair' is a highlight, and another great slice of easy-listening jazz. Sure, after the superior two tracks that open the album, it becomes something of a diminishing returns scenario, but the modus operandi is set, and Sade never falter. It influenced neo-soul, but doesn't have the vapidity or self-regard of that most detestable of genres. There's something here that's sincere. Throw bass solos, sax solos, languid pace and 80s production into a pot, and there's a one in a million chance that's what's coming out is likeable. And this is the one in a million.
76
Excellent energy.
I thought this was an awful "jazz lite" record in 1984... It is. Suffered it in a million student flats and it is just banal.
que mujer
Hyper soothing joli moment
I remember as a little kid the first time I ever saw the name Sade it was for a 45 single for smooth operator. I thought it was pronounced with a long a sound and I was just mesmerized by the beauty on the cover but I only remember seeing the video on Friday Night Videos. I lived in a rural area and didn’t have real cable for MTV. Eventually I would figure who Sade was and enjoy the music. Diamond Life is a good album especially the first few songs. For A debut it is a very good idea of what they would become. The music would get better. But the classic Your Love is King is just pure sexiness. Without even trying. It’s such a smooth and sexy album. What a beginning.
très bon 4/5
Very enjoyable. Flies by.
Very nice little number, mostly harmless.
smoooooooooooooooooooooooooooth operator 3.5ish?
Five stars
no real notes, i a nice relaxing listen.
3.4
Funky, Smooth, Chill, but also low on excitement 3 or 4. Closer to 3
I wasn’t familiar with this album. It was ok, not her best work
super listenable album, every song is smooth and Sade’s voice is beautiful. Lovely instrumentals as well, the bass, brass, and drums all play brilliantly together.
Definitely a classic, but still a bit monotonous in my opinion. Her voice and the production is great, and what a great album to relax to. Favorites: Smooth Operator, Sally, Why Can't We Live Together
It's Sade, you either vibe with it or you don't, but it's basically the pinnacle of this type of music.
Sade é definitivamente uma referência com todo seu trabalho.
I was actually surprised that I enjoyed this just fine. It's one of those myriad number of records that is just fine to listen to but almost utterly forgettable after you do. It's a good collection of r&b pop songs and I can see how it spawned radio hits but I couldn't care much less if I hear it again or I don't.
A beautiful mix of miami vice cruisin and a cigarette-smoke-filled bar where the singer tonight has really been through some shit.
One of the best sounding albums I own. Music is damn good too.
Skuffende, for jeg kan godt lide Smooth Operator. Ikke nogen særligt god sangstemme, i hvert fald ikke i den her produktion. Og for meget porno-blød sax.
There's definitely a formula being followed here, but at least it's a good one. Really smooth soul that really works in the right situation, I just wish there were a few more risks taken
I had only really known Sade by name before this, so I figured Sade was a lot newer than she was (I thought Love Deluxe was in like 2000). So seeing this and seeing it came out in the 80s surprised me, and I was worried that this would end up sounding dated. But I was worried for nothing, this sounds surprisingly modern for its lack of synths. And she has a wonderful voice, this was just a joy to listen to. There were a couple weak tracks to me, but the highs were very high, and even the lows were pretty high. Favorites: Smooth Operator, Hang On to Your Love, I Will Be Your Friend
Enjoyed,
It might be a corny remark given the name of the biggest hit, but one word to describe this album would be 'smooth'. It flows by easily and is over before you know it. 4/5
I think this was the first record I ever bought, maybe it was Anita Baker. Anyhow, it has a soft spot in my heart
fav songs: smooth operator your love is king hang on to your love i will be your friend smooth, silky, sensual 70/100
i realize her talent but it’s just not for me.
Great opening tracks, rest also pretty good. 3.5 stars
Pretty pleasant ! but it wasn't as engaging as i'd hoped.
5/5. A truly timeless album.
Pretty damn fantastic. Gold standard for R&B for me.
Sultry and feminine. What a gorgeous record! Getting beautiful visuals of silvers and satins and pearls. Sade’s voice is round and sweet and softly raspy in a way that is sooo divine. Favorites are Hang On To Your Love, Cherry Pie, and I Will Be Your Friend.
Mdjdosksndjjdoa
분위기가 꽤 좋았다. The atmosphere was quite good.
Super smooth
Нормас, не мой стиль. Вокал у тетки классный
Sade has an intoxicating voice. My only complaint is that the songs tend to feel very similar, so an entire album can get a bit boring. But the quality of the music is high.
Really nice album, snuck a jazz album into pop music. Very moody and great sounding.
oh yeah, that's the shit
Not as good as I remembered. The production should have been better. I still love Why Can't We Live Together though.
Couple of classic tracks and way ahead of it's time. But forgettable. Mood music I am not often going to be in the mood for.
mid 4 cant say no to having this on good stuff
It's fine
I enjoyed this way more than I expected to. Smooth in a good way, impeccably played and produced, and the songs are all time classics.
She's so cool. I would like to be Mr. Harry Sade. This album gets 5 stars for the way she says "no need to ask" in Smooth Operator and another 5 stars for when she says "Coast to Coast, LA to Chicago". Such an awesome unique voice and some pretty legit jazz musicians going crazy in the background.
Love her voice. And love the lyrics on a few songs. I’ve never really listened to her much before, but I can see why she is treasured in the music world. That being said, this album is not something I’d intentionally reach for but I would definitely not be upset if I heard it playing overhead wherever I was.
Great album! Smooth jazz and a bit of funk!
Ten out of ten, no notes. It's Sade ... !!!
few nice songs but became a little irritating to be honest
I mean it's alright. 🤷🏽♂️ Smooth operator is my favorite track on this album.
The lyrics are bland and cliche but the presentation is better than I would have expected. Band is good, vocalist is good, still not my thing.
Wonderful
This is like really good! I love the bass work The pianist was cooking as well The vocals are insane!!! every single track is a banger the saxophone is so good man! Production also insane this may be a 5/5
When Sade's debut album, "Diamond Life", was released, it fit perfectly with the British pop music zeitgeist. At the time, bands such as Working Week and Matt Bianco were blending jazz and pop. Sade was the most commercially successful figurehead of this 'new wave of pop jazz'. Everything about their image was perfect: the sensuous yet cool contralto voice of former model Sade Adu and the dominant saxophone of Stuart Matthewman reflected the fashion and approach to pop music of the time. 'Sophisti-pop' was elegant and sensual, yet also somewhat old-fashioned and melancholic. Admittedly, Sade never had anything to do with real jazz. This album features two of their most successful singles: 'Smooth Operator' and 'Your Love Is King'. It was the most commercially successful album of Sade’s career, although all their albums remained successful right into the nineties. "Diamond Life" may not be their best album, but it has a classic 1980s vibe and has aged remarkably well, offering polished, perfectly produced pop. Sade's last studio album, "Soldier of Love", was released in 2010, and the band continued to perform to enthusiastic audiences worldwide until 2011. Despite long intervals between performances, the line-up remained virtually unchanged. Repeated rumours that a new album is in the works have emerged, but so far, only some singles for soundtracks and charity have been released. Sade Adu now lives a secluded life in England.
ME ESTA GUSTANDO MUCHO
Just got a bit samey, very sexy tho
nice
I made it through. However, nothing but smooth operator really stood out. I didn't hate it, but also not world shifting in my opinion. 3/5
Fun stuff.
Mit Smooth Operator startet das Album direkt ziemlich smooth ins Geschehen und diese smoothness zieht sich durch ganze Album. Bringt coolen jazzigen, rauchigen Vibe rüber. Coole Bässe. Coole Drums. Coole Lead Stimme. Zieht sich/ist minimal zu langsam für meinen Geschmack manchmal. Deshalb 4/5.
3.5
Reminds me of working at CVS as a teenager, when the store played “Smooth Operator” every couple hours.
очень приятно есть хиты, однако после них все звучит довольно одинаково. В конце концов это группа, которая использует один набор инструментов Это хороший альбом, переслушивать буду 3.9
Not a bad album, but really rides on the big single. The rest of the songs are good, but very samey. Overall not bad, but wouldn't be rushing to listen to again, and not sure it's a must listen to.
Enjoyable. The sax is unreal and tbh the band have some serious chill going on, vocals are good but not 100% my thing. Too many songs hung on two chords which got a bit tiring. Maybe that's a soul thing but I dunno probably holds it back for me. Overall a decent listen 7 / 10 Best track/s: Smooth operator, When am i going to make a living, sally
Deservedly thrown at the undead in Shaun of the Dead. Absolute dross.
She lives in Cirencester
Good
Some really good hits and an overall enjoyable album.
Smällare only.
This record is one smooth operator. (smooth operator)
dont really get the hype, smooth pop songs about men with a nice sax sometimes
Sade separates herself from the other cheesy smooth jazz outfits because this album is actually sophisticated and classy. Full of restrained soul and jazz touches, with a gentle pulsating rhythm section.
Great vibes. Feels like good lounge music. No bad tracks.
I think I prefer this to the other Sade album on the list. This is calming and voice is great. For some reason I have a little trouble understanding the lyrics.
for better or worse I absolutely love this!
beautiful.she must’ve been crazy to watch live
Standout voice, very good singles (first two tracks) and the remainder are pleasant enough if not essential listening.
This lady can sing. The first two tracks were the best. Not quite my genre, but good for it's type.
I actually remembered Sade with a rather negative connotation. I can't say why that was, because at least “Diamond Life” is a really strong smooth jazz album that, beneath its highly polished surface, offers beautiful ideas, precise grooves, and an excellent voice. Everyone probably knows “Smooth Operator”, but that song in particular isn’t all that subtle. After listening to the whole record, I actually consider it the weakest track on the entire album. For some, it’s elevator music; for others, a masterpiece of understated elegance. I definitely count myself among the latter group.