Before there was Freddy Adu, Ghana-born, US-naturalized soccer phenom, pop culture had another Adu. Hardly anyone knew it though, for she was one of those artists whose given name seems to say it all.
Her name is Folasade. We know her, and the English band that took her name as its own in the country to which she emigrated, as Sade.
Sade the band and Sade the singer had an unmistakably smooth, steady-rhythm sound that came to be frequently heard on the airwaves. Released in 1984, Diamond Life was the band’s debut album. It’s first two tracks, `Smooth Operator’ and `Your Love is King’, were significant hits.
Twenty-four years after the fact, Sade’s sound comes across as understated and suggestive. There are no vocal or instrumental pyrotechnics. It is mood music that crosses over to dance. No doubt the striking looks of the band’s eponymous front lady played its part in the group’s success yet it would be mistaken to reduce this remarkable artist to eye candy. Her appearance, her sound, and her band made for a tight package of sight and sound.
The little-known `Why Can’t We Live Together’ may be the gem in the mix. The lengthy eeriness of its instrumental intro makes the listener long for the vocal entrance which, when it comes, is plaintive.
This is a modest landmark CD from the music scene of the 1980s and worth owning for its gentle pleasures.
Canter Bridge 
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