Diamond Life

I feel like Sade is an artist you are supposed to like more than you do like

God this was boring. Why are there so many 5 star reviews? It sounds like music that would be playing in a department store while I wait for an assistant to come back with some size 10s

great album, no misses. i love sade

Their second best one after Promise. Still a 10/10 though. Been listening to it for 42 years and still not sick of it. Thank you Sade, the band, Robin, and Mike.

Looooove it

This album is perfect & timeless. Just an absolute pinnacle of Jazz/R&B pop. The sound quality is amazing. I have a hard time picking out and stadout tracks because they all qualify.

I love sade

so good

Too smooth

89/100

Muziek is goed genoeg waardoor de reverb gelukkig niet te veel opvalt. 84/100

Bloedmooie stem, indrukwekkend sounddesign. Ideale muziek om in een lift te beluisteren, minder interessant om buiten een lift te beluisteren.

Sade heeft bij mij een tijdje als top artiest gestaan, maar dit album heb ik toen nooit volledig geluisterd. Toch ken ik bijna alle liedjes. Ze heeft volgens mij betere albums gemaakt, maar voor een debut album is dit wel zeer sterk. 8/10

Mijn F1 hartje opzetten met smooth operator is gw peak IK hou van dit album gw, dit is zo chill om naar te luisteren. Ja ik heb hier ni veel over te zeggen dus ja ik vind het ehct gw ene goe album

Zeer chill en mooi album

Everything about this album is smooth. It's got to be some of the best Vocal Jazz/R&B put down. Listening to it you want a nice drink at a low key club where everything is just so chill and relaxed. It's a great album.

Great voice and I enjoyed some of the R&B with Latin percussion instrumentals, but it really didn’t do much for me. I kept asking myself why and I could only conclude that the overall arrangements reminded me a bit too much of the background shopping music in the Eighties. Over saturation can dull a ming to subsequent experiences.

Don't mess with SADE's smooth delivery across the hard surface of Diamond Life. Lush, sultry vocals over tightly crafted '80s R&B. Dropping references international in scope and yet somehow feeling as if sung directly to you. Put this record on and pretend you're a Bond for a few minutes before you begin to sink into an understanding that this album is cleverly deconstructing traditional R&B "love songs" by replacing idealized romance with lyrics about economic realism in/and transactional relationships with their accompanying disillusionment. Diamond Life is operating on more than one level, or to stick with the metaphor, it is reflecting life back through more than one facet.

So insanely good I had to change my pants Favorite song: Smooth Operator

OK

Okayish music

Even if Smooth Operator and Your Love Is King are good songs, Sade has/have always made me yawn.

Smooth and well-produced but ridiculously boring. I don't have much to say on this as I just found the whole thing dull throughout. Sorry to all the Sade fans

Smooth Operator is an undeniable classic. That said, the rest of the album was a bit uninspired for me. I didn't think the songwriting past the first song was anything special. Her voice is magnificent and it's great easy listening, but I didn't enjoy this as much as I wanted to. Love Deluxe should be the album on here. Top Songs: Smooth Operator, Your Love Is King

Lovely

Smooth operator indeed.

One word. BORING. I didn't like her in the 80s and that was hearing just the singles. Now heard the album and as I said above it is terminally boring. Every song is the same dreary dirge. Its an album try something different.

An album I hated as a teenager when it first came out because it was so different from what was the norm at the time, but give credit where credit is due, it is a fantastic debut. Song themes and some of the rhythms are a bit repetitive, but overall very listenable and a great album to relax to. Hang on to Your Love the standout.

Really nice easy listening music if slightly dated by 80's production choices. I've obviously heard smooth operator before, but maybe due just to the novelty the other songs on this album stuck with me more than that opening track. Jazzy, soothing, and lushous pop-soul, it's easy to see how this has influenced so many artists into today. 6.5/10.

What kind of music is this, like a bossa nova beat?

So smooth

Imagine having "Smooth Operator" as the first song on your debut. Rarely have I heard albums which created more of mood as this has. Amazing sounds, smooth singing with feeling and great songs.

classic dels classics. Sade es increible y evoca moltissima màgia. La vd que la podria escoltar tota l'estona x sempre. veu preciosa

Supi, sehr gefühlvoll und ausdrucksvoll

I'm excited. Fuck you carlos sainz. I love Sade. I got one of her records over the summer. Wow this is a debut?? Very cool. I never knew they were a band ngl. Still. She's stunning. Did they rerecord some of these songs? This feels more raw. I like it. Kinda mid to be honest actually maybe because it's their debut bu touch less impressive than I thought it would be. Favourite: Smooth Operator Least favourite: Sally

This was quite good

I prefer Sada. As in Sadako. From Ringu. Not that shite American remake. This is music for repressed 80s housewives.

Listened before? No Familiar with the artist? Yes Thoughts: - I admit, until today I assumed Sade was just the singer and not a band. - Smooth Operator is the only song I know, so we're starting off strong, lol. It's an excellent song, though. - Love her voice, and love the saxophone. I don't know that this is something I'll come back to much, but definitely a solid album. Favorite track(s): Smooth Operator, Sally

Very laid back and easy listening. 4/5 Favorite Songs: Smooth Operator Your Love Is King Hang On To Your Love I Will Be Your Friend Why Can't We Live Together

3-1/2 stars

Timeless.

Smooth operator good, feels like velvety diamonds

Favorite Track: Smooth Operator

Great album! Smooth Operator is a standout. 4.5/5

01) Smooth Operator - 10,0 02) Your Love Is King - 10,0 03) Hang On to Your Love - 10,0 04) Frankie's First Affair - 8,0 05) When Am I Going to Make a Living - 8,0 06) Cherry Pie - 8,0 07) Sally - 8,0 08) I Will Be Your Friend - 8,0 09) Why Can't We Live Together - 9,0 TOTAL: 8,78 (88/100) Current ranking: 125/1073

Carlos Sainz would give this album a 55

I know of Sade through their hits "Smooth Operator" and "Sweetest Taboo" but have never listened to one of their albums since it's outside of my normal listening genres. I recognized the album cover because I have seen that image multiple times over the course of my life and know that it is an album that people adore. "Smooth Operator" - One of the Sade tracks I am familiar with. Horns, bongos, funky guitar, Latin flavor all operating smoothly together. "Your Love is King" - A modern (80's) slow jam with those quintessential blaring 80's horns and the smooth singing melds it all together. Great song "Hang On to Your Love" - Funky rhythm with a great piano jumping in later. Another Like "Frankie's First Affair" - First song on the album I didn't vibe with. I would say it is a bad song by any means but it was a let down for me after the first 3 songs were really good. "When Am I Going to Make a Living" - Another funky banger. Enjoyed it "Cherry Pie" - This starts off with a fat bass line and then a spacey and funky guitar joins in. I love the hook on this one. One of my top songs so far "Sally" - The horns at the beginning felt like a noir film. It's got interesting lyrics but the pace was too dragging for me. A dislike on this "I Will Be Your Friend" - A very similar groove to Smooth Operator with a great hook. "Why Can't We Live Together" - This song has really cool percussion and groove. The lyrics have a great message of peace but overall I found this as a very boring finale to close out the album. Overall, this was a great listen. I guess that makes me a Sade fan now. This falls just short of being a perfect score album for me. 4/5

I love good sax and the voice is smooth but I found the album a tad boring.

Yes

Her voice is beautiful

great vibey, sensual sound, great performances, some particularly good songs, but pretty one note. as much as i enjoy how these songs sound, it felt like i was listening to the same song several times in a row at times. not sure if i'll listen to this front to back for a while but i can definitely appreciate it in moderation favourite songs: smooth operator, hang on to your love, cherry pie least favourite song: sally (if i had to pick)

The music isn't bad, I just can't stand it. Just this smooth easy listening style that bores me to tears. Not fit for me.

An album full of great grooves and vocals. Very consistent across all tracks (from LA to Chicago).

Sade's debut was pretty good. While it won't ever eclipse their/her best of album, which everyone loves, this is pretty good for a studio record. It also makes you forget there was a studio version/OG of Smooth Operator that I've only heard once or twice before.

Really interesting album -- not quite pop, not quite jazz, but a unique blend of elements of both with Soul and R&B. Smooth Operator is the only song that sounds familiar, but it's quite good. I'll definitely check out more from Sade.

Sade has never been able to do any wrong musically, for me, and her debut here is the same. I expected this to be flashes of what was to come later but this is already fantastic. The production is immediately creative and unique all along the tracklist and Sade complements it all perfectly while bringing outstanding lyrical focus and performances few others could match. Flawless. 1 listen Favorite Tracks: Smooth Operator, Your Love Is King, Cherry Pie

This rates among my favorite 80s R&B albums. Love this style. Will still put Sade on from time to time in 2026.

Bin nach dem so hyped uf ihres andere Album

Already have this album. In my younger years I would have passed over this as it wasn't to the musical taste of a younger me. But I went through an 80s revival about six years ago and this was one of the albums that did click with the present day me. Good to see some others feel the same given it has been recently been reviewed higher compared to 4 or 5 years ago. I enjoy it enough to give it 4 stars easily, even if I wasn't into it when it was released, and it's not the usual music I listen to regularly today. I just think it's worth listening too and can appreciate it for what it is.

Yooooo I've both heard Sade's music before and smooth operator but never realised that's who wrote/performed it! What a fun thing to learn. All of what I've heard of Sade I am a fan. Nothing on this album stood out to me as insanely memorable but I enjoyed it as an overall experience I think it basically had no low points and but it also had very few points of "OMG what the fuck was that" that being said it is very cohesive, I love the tones from the brass/woodwind and also Sade's voice is amazing

4/5

Meh

Shite Life

첫번째 트랙에 경례

Not my favorite Sade record, but a fantastic one regardless. It's got the hits! And what a statement to make on your first album. Smooth, rich, beautiful and so well recorded and performed.

7,50/10 Buen album. Muy chill, no jode, ni aburre, ideal para ir tranquilo. Además tiene Smooth Operator, grande tema

CARLOS SAINZ

I don't think this is timeless and, actually, there's not much to it most of the time. Its repetitive stance carries a reasonable vocal over the top, though usually I find it the other way around. It's a smooshing, slow plod with a sax brightness. It's all fine, but it's average amongst the best and, being of its time, has cemented itself in the middle of cosy smooth-jazz lounger territory.

I guess this probably felt pretty fresh at the time of release. Sade has quite a pleasant voice, she sings well without over-embellishment. I'd probably enjoy her style a lot more if it was deployed in a different package. The genre is just completely not my thing. The production is too slick and polished, devoid of any grit, and the whole packages is just too soft. Although the music has jazz influence, anything rhythmically interesting has been stripped and replaced with an incessantly repeating snare which got very annoying very quickly. The singles are the sort of thing that gets played at the end of a tragic disco. Absolute vibe killers.

pretty good, some classics in here

Beautiful, sultry, soulful.

Love this album!!

Ett album i världsklass som alla borde lyssna på då och då. Förträffligt trevligt när man behöver lite lugn i tillvaron.

amazing j'adore sade

Smooth soul jazz that sounds very much of the time. Someone should have told Sade that LA to Chicago is absolutely not coast to coast.

She’s so beautiful and talented I love Sade.

She’s so beautiful and talented I love Sade.

Smooth (Operator) album. But also light touch, precise back band. Well pittifwther and mixed album. It is an assured first album and feels like a silk sheet being passed through one ear and out the other. While that might be nice every now and then, it isn’t something you want to do all the time.

3.5 easy listen, some standout tracks but can’t say i’d crave hearing it over and over

Not a big R and B guy thats an established fact

Pretty good, smooth operator is phenomenal obviously, but the rest of the album feels like trying to be smooth operator with little variation, just different arrangements and not different enough to make the album meet the opener

Against all odds, I dig Sade. Not everything she’s written, but damn it, when she knocks one out of the park, she really knocks one out of the park. And, I just learned something about Sade: it’s actually the name of the band, rather than the singer. I’ve literally gone 35+ years thinking it was the name of the lady singer. You learn something new everyday, I guess. Anyway, it’s a pretty great record, and I say that as pretty much a hater of smooth jazz/soft rock. I wish there were more hits on this record, but even the “misses” are decent. 7.8/10

Sade serviert hier den vollendeten Smoothie aus Soul, Jazz und kühlem Pop: samtige Vocals, elegante Arrangements, alles butterweich ineinander gerührt. Smooth Operator setzt den Ton, doch das ganze Album fließt wie ein perfekt gemixter Nachtdrink – stilvoll, geschmeidig, zeitlos.

I knew the opening track already (who doesn't) but nothing else. I didn't like it as much as I thought I would, but it was fine. Would make okay background music but not my kind of foreground music.

People talk about the saxophone in Wham!’s “Careless Whisper” but “Sweetest Taboo” should get equal credit for a memorable use of sax! I’m not really a R&B fan, but I remember this album being huge. I do love Sade’s voice, but her Love Deluxe album is more of a standout to me. I was surprised by how sad / heavy a lot of the lyrics were on this album, especially “Sally.”

6.1/10. A jazz and soul album, it definitely is smooth, but sometimes that smoothness translates into boring, which it did for me at times. The vocals were good, and can understand why it is important, but it wasn't something I feel I want or need to listen to again.

I was very much charmed by this one. I love Sade’s slightly subdued and sultry voice. It also doesn’t fall into that slightly awkward sound that a lot of r and b from this era where it starts to sound corny. This is earnest and I can take it seriously as music. Liked it quite a bit. 4/5

Sade’s voice is soooo luxurious and smooth. Really carries even the would-be corny songs.

My god, it's so smooth.

Fin plate, men føltes som en langs seission med Radio Tromsø. Er litt lei 80-tallet.

Soft og sjarmerende.

Not for me but undeniably a classic!

not a David Bowie fan

I enjoyed this, glad to finally check out some Sade after always seeing her pop up in the music communities I am a part of. Really unique sound, I would definitely check out some more Sade. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

It's a very nice album, Sade's voice is amazing. "Your Love is King", "I Will Be Your friend" and "Smooth Operator" are my favorites.

Smooth operator and your love is king are bangers. And I do love sade as a whole but this album did feel a little lackluster too me. Starts with a bang then kinda sleepy. She is still a queen though

Стильно

Sade is sucha chill vibe. Very into it.

Another I never heard of, but this kicked ass. Several really cool songs in here, especially Smooth Operator, Your Love is King, and When Am I Going to Make a Living. Maybe not always my style, but I had a good enough time.

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!!!