Sade - Love Deluxe (1992)

I know that Sade is the name of the band, but who are we fooling? If the band were concerned about cultivating a band image, they wouldn't name the group after the lead singer and put her naked picture on the cover.

For me, Sade is hit-or-miss. On some of her tracks, I love her smooth, urban, late-night romantic sounds. Most of the time, though, her stuff just doesn't do it for me. She certainly has a wonderful voice and knows where her bread is buttered - she's never varied her formula much over the years. Overall, I prefer Anita Baker.

Update: In its 2020 list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, Rolling Stone ranked Love Deluxe at #247.

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard Top 200: #3 (Nov 21, 1992)
• Billboard R&B: #2

Tracks: My favorite track on the disc, I Couldn't Love You More, would probably be considered a filler track by most Sade fans, but I think it is one of the most relaxing songs I have in my collection. Other top tracks include Like A Tattoo, Kiss Of Life, and Mermaid, which is an instrumental (Look, Ma! We really are a band!). I skip the rest, even the hit single, No Ordinary Love.

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Personal Memory Associated with this CD: I didn't really care for Sade when she hit the scene in 1984, but listened to her quite a bit around the turn of the century. Maybe too much.