Editor’s Note: The Albumism staff has selected what we believe to be the 110 Best Albums of the 2010s, representing a varied cross-section of artists, genres, and styles. Click “Next Album” below to explore each album in the list or for easier navigation, view the full introduction & album index here.
SADE | Soldier of Love
Epic (2010)
Selected by Justin Chadwick
Although subtle suggestions of a new album in the offing have been swirling for a while now, the fact remains that nearly a full decade has elapsed since the early 2010 release of Sade’s last album Soldier of Love. Since their 1984 debut LP Diamond Life, Sade (the band and the woman) have deservedly become one of the most passionately beloved acts in the world, despite a meticulously methodical recording pace that has delivered just six studio albums in 35 years, and just three in the past 27 years. No matter though, as the band’s musical repertoire exemplifies the virtues of quality trumping quantity, a notion that quite a few overly productive artists could learn a thing or two from.
Much has also been made in the media about Sade Adu’s traditionally reclusive, press-shunning lifestyle. But ultimately, who cares if she opts to avoid the public eye and preserve her artistic allure, when she and her band of brothers have blessed the world with such consistently inspired music, most recently captured across the entirety of their exquisitely enchanting sixth LP.
LISTEN & WATCH:
