Diamond Life
| Sade
Diamond Life
Diamond Life is the debut studio album by English band Sade. It was first released in the United Kingdom on 16 July 1984 by Epic Records and in the United States on 27 February 1985 by Portrait Records. After studying fashion design, and later modelling, Sade Adu began backup singing with British band Pride. During this time Adu and three of the original members of “Pride”—Paul Anthony Cook, Paul Denman and Stuart Matthewman—left the group to form their own band called Sade. Following various demos and performances, Sade received interest from record labels and later signed to Epic.-Wikipedia
Critic Reviews
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AllMusic
A sinewy and compatible cover of Timmy Thomas' 1972 hit "Why Can't We Live Together" affirms that Sade are indeed soul aesthetes concerned with more than creating a mood and projecting glamour.
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BBC
2010. Paul Lester. Sade’s debut album, Diamond Life, confirmed that she was more than just a beautifully sculpted face. For a start, she could sing, . . . Sade’s voice was husky and restrained, oozing class and suggestive of hard-won experience, making her sound like a Wardour Street Billie Holiday.
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BBC
2010. Daryl Easlea. When you hear the bangs, crashes and whirrs that most music made in 1984, it is amazing to hear how pure and unaffected the debut album by Sade, Diamond Life, still sounds.
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The New York Times
January 30, 1985. ''Diamond Life'' has already sold just under a million copies in England (the equivalent of three million in the United States) and has spawned three international hits. . . .Stunningly photogenic, Miss Adu possesses a dusky, haunting pop-jazz alto whose blase sensuality perfectly matches her sleek appearance.
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Albumism
September 7, 2017. Diamond Life's nine tracks are an intoxicating blend of sophisti-pop, jazz and soul, with a strong afro-rhythm backbeat and a touch of ska.
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Classic Pop Mag
Lauded as ‘the face of 1984’, Sade and her band proved with the release of their debut album that style meant nothing unless it was backed by a whole lot of substance. Taking their inspiration from the greats of soul, they fused it with jazz and pop to create a soothing sound entirely their own. Fronted by the striking singer that gave the group its name, Sade was one of 1984’s undoubted triumphs.
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Analog Planet
September 22, 2012. The debut album by Sade (a name used by both the lead singer and the band) contains songs that are soulful, silky, shimmering, sultry, sensuous and seductive – and every other sexy word that starts with an “S”.
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LETS FACE THE MUSIC
February 18, 2019. As debuts go this was a stunning way to begin a career and Sade really announced themselves to the world with a bang despite the music not being hard hitting.
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KEF Direct
May 16, 2016. Thirty-two years on, in spite of the massive over-play of Smooth Operator, Diamond Life stands up both for the music and the production. Aloof and almost icy, Sade Adu draws you in subtly without a hint of the vocal theatrics we’ve become so accustomed to in our American Idol / The Voice world.
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George Starostin's Reviews
I dub this the greatest adult contemporary album to have ever existed (even if, for understandable reasons, my knowledge of the genre is scant) and urge everybody to get it, although be warned, bucko: this is adult contemporary.
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Jazz Music Archives
August 3, 2011. Their music is a gentler generally mainstream quality jazz/pop that somehow managed to dominate the synthesized dreck that “graced” that dreaded decade.
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A Pop Life
July 16, 2019. The album sounds flexible, combining elements of soft-pop, soul, funk and jazz. Many of the songs’ lyrics deal with love or the lack thereof.
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laut.de
July 16, 1984. Cool , serious, tricky and long - yet easy listening : this is how the new songs break through the monotony of computerized 4/4 time. Sade's debut influenced the music market for the next fifteen years and enriched him with soul-like style mixes from England.
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Robert Christgau
There's no superfluity, no reveling in la luxe, not even an excessive tempo. Which is no doubt why I find myself crediting her humanitarian sentiments, even preferring her "Why Can't We Live Together" to Timmy Thomas's equally spare but naive original.
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ROCKTIMES
December 20, 2011. Their debut album "Diamond Life" had revolutionized the music scene at that time, allowing them to enjoy this music from the smallest club to the largest halls. This status has reached the same (musical) quality until today only Amy Winehouse .
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TurntableLab.com
Diamond Life is an essential soulful smooth jazz classic that practically defined the genre in the 80s.
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The All Of Everything
April 15, 2017. Often dismissed as ‘dinner party’ go-to music, Diamond Life is all that and a whole lot more. Soul Train suggested that Diamond Life showcased Sade’s soulful vocals and the mellow, jazzy and uptempo rhythmic grooves of the band.
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The Quietus
May 22, 2013. But for all that Diamond Life typifies what the average listener might think Sade is about, it’s something of an anomaly in their catalogue: more uptempo and engaging than later work, seeking the approbation of its audience through the pyrotechnics of Stuart Matthewman’s flamboyant saxophone solos, and embedded within the cultural milieu of the London jazz scene.
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Acoustic Sounds
Elegance, class, and sophistication barely begins to describe the sound of Sade. Her 1984 debut album, Diamond Life, shimmers with glamour and style, a sleek, catchy hybrid of pop, soul and jazz. The album was driven by an irresistible sound, mood music that crosses over to dance with excellent musicianship and clever lyrics.
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Life Through Earphones
December 26, 2013. Very few British albums can even be compared, its totally the sound of the 80’s soul and jazz era. The songs are soulful and smooth that make you want to melt and fall in love.
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ManyFantasticColors
August 15, 2016. Lyrically the album revolves around themes of love, discussing both the positive and the negative of relationships, the music features jazzy textures, built over prominent basslines, smooth drums and subtle guitar. The album also features heavy use of brass instruments and keyboards.
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Daily Vault
Diamond Life went on to become one of the most successful debuts by a group in pop history. So while I (and I suspect many others) are patiently awaiting the next burst of activity from Sade, I’ll keep enjoying the great stuff they have put down so far that fortunately, like a fine wine, just gets better with time. A Diamond Life indeed.
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