Promise
| Sade
Promise
Promise is the second studio album by English band Sade. It was first released in the United Kingdom on 4 November 1985 by Epic Records and in the United States on 15 November 1985 by Portrait Records. Recording for the album began in February and lasted until August 1985. The band co-produced the album with the same team of producers they worked with on their debut album, Diamond Life, including Robin Millar, Mike Pela and Ben Rogan. The album’s title comes from a letter from Adu’s father where he refers to the “promise of hope” to recover from cancer.-Wikipedia
Critic Reviews
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AllMusic
Sade's second album improved on the performance of her debut, as "Sweetest Taboo" was a huge hit and "Never as Good as the First Time" landed in both the R&B and pop Top 20. She was once again the personification of cool, laid-back singing, seldom extending or embellishing lyrics, registering emotion, or projecting her voice.
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The New York Times
November 27, 1985. ''PROMISE'' (Epic/Portrait), the second album by the Nigerian-born British pop star Sade, marks an impressive leap forward for the singer-lyricist whose debut album, ''Diamond Life,'' was a worldwide hit this year. Like its forerunner, ''Promise'' ignores the prevailing pop trend toward bright electronic surfaces in favor of a refined, acoustically based fusion of pop, jazz, funk and Latin influences.
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Jazz Music Archives
May 18, 2012. This is still how jazzy, R&B-flavored pop is done properly and it holds up amazingly well over two and a half decades down the line. This kind of music just doesn’t become dated or stale.
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Illpoetscom
Not since Billie Hiliday, has there been someone who could deliver a sad song with such intimacy, passion, and dedication...until Sade. I mean this album encompasses so mush pain, yet it celebrates growth and love.
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Robert Christgau
Even when it's this sumptuous, there's a problem with aural wallpaper--once you start paying attention to it, it's not wallpaper anymore, it's pictures on the wall. And while as a wallpaper these pictures may be something, they can't compete with the ones you've hung up special.
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George Starostin's Reviews
I'm just going to have to assume that it was a typical "second album factor" - that Sade had enough time to quality-assure the Diamond Life material with her old band, but that Promise was just way too rushed and unpolished. Fortunately, Sade would never rush an album again.
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Daily Vault
June 13, 2009. It’s hard for me (a big Sade fan) to label this album their worst because, quite frankly, in spite of a few uninspiring tracks every now and then, none of their releases are anything less than wonderfully crafted intelligent pop music. Having said that, Promise is the one album with more of those uninspired moments than any other.
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HiFi.nl
June 24, 2013. Occasionally as a music lover you have those records that will actually be present in everyone's collection. This album is the same way. Sade was very successful in 1985 with her second studio album Promise.
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