Customer Reviews

Promise

5 star:		(57)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Listening to a Sade album is like wearing an Armani suit: it's stylish and impeccably tailored, but it won't look foolish in six months. In other words, the band's music is elegant yet able to survive passing trends and fads. Their second release, "Promise," may be the best. Fusing jazz and pop with a dash of r&b, "Promise" is the personal journey of a broken heart and a bruised soul. It bleeds with emotion, and it captivates the listener through its refined and understated grace. Sade Adu won't go down as a singer with tremendous range, but she sure uses the best of what she's got. We can both hear and feel Sade's longing in the excellent opener "Is it a Crime," in which Ms. Adu can't seem to shake the man who once loved her. She also runs the gamut of emotions from affection ("The Sweetest Taboo") to longing ("Maureen") and pain ("War of the Hearts"). But the track that makes me stop EVERYTHING is the have-your-Kleenex-ready breakup number "You're Not the Man." With the assistance of Stuart Matthewman's pained saxophone, Sade wakes up and realizes that she no longer can connect with the man she loved for so long. I think this may be my favorite Sade song ever. "Promise" is simply a work of class done to near-perfection. In fact, Sade is one of the reasons why I can't warm up to jazz pop upstarts like Norah Jones. The latter singer is an able, but unexceptional, singer whose material suffers from milquetoast production and too many contrivances. But Sade gives you the real deal, straight from the gut. "Promise" still has the juice after all these years and it comes highly recommended. It's one of the best records money can buy.

Promise is my favorite of Sade's CDs and the one that I listen to on a regular basis -- 14 years later! I don't even skip tracks, I just hit play and let the music flow until there's nothing left. This is great mood music with a combination of torch songs, a couple of uptempo cuts and a fantastic, and underrated, instrumental.

It's hard for me to pick a favorite track because they are all good, still there are a couple of standouts. "Is it a Crime" is the ultimate torch song about a love that you can't shake. May I never be so afflicted. Whew! "Jezebel" is a haunting number about a beautiful call girl who 'wasn't born with a silver spoon in her mouth.' "You're not the Man," takes to task a lover who has become a disappointment. The one instrumental on this CD ,"Punchdrunk," is sexy and languid. I don't want to sit here and list all of the tracks, but it's no exaggeration to call them all great.

Sade combines lyrics, delivery and arrangements to produce a polished final product. The end result is timeless music that we can all enjoy for years to come.

Sade's "Diamond Life" was a brilliant introduction to this smooth, sultry songstress and her group. "Promise", her second album, accentuates her femininity. Here, you have a woman who fell in love, who got hurt, and who pulls herself up to continue. This album has a cohesiveness I seldom sense. Rather than just a collection of songs, there is a development of a theme here, and the songs blend together into a whole.

Musically, this is imminently satisfying with the elements that make Sade Adu's vocals and the group's instrumental backing distinctive. As in their initial album, the group is given space by the vocalist to exercise it's own voice. This is an emotional set, one with which many women can empathize as Sade portrays the hurt coming from a love that goes sour, and yet at the end shows the strength so that she can get on with her life. It's a set which helps men understand what the woman is going through during such a period.

Some of the songs stand better on their own than others. The opening song, "Is It A Crime", certainly is a strong one as are her hit, "The Sweetest Taboo" and "War of the Hearts". These three set the stage for the entire album. "You're Not the Man", while not as notable musically, does wring a sensitive person's heart as she expresses how the man seems at the end of the affair. "Jezebel" has a touch of bitterness. "Mr. Wrong" is a bit of a filler, but fits in nicely before the instrumental "Punch Drunk". And this instrumental is a great jazz number, hardly likely to be one's favorite cut or anything like that, but it plays a role in the mood of the whole set. "Never As Good As The First Time" was another hit for her, but in the context of the entire album takes on deeper meaning. "Fear" is a darker song typifying the aftermath of the woman's hurt. And then, thankfully, Sade lightens up as a woman coming up from the depths with "Tar Baby" and "Maureen".

This is a CD to listen to with lights down low, to really listen to alone, or to share with a compatriot spirit. This CD can be a great listening experience for those who are really tuned in to smooth and yet meaningful music.

However, if you are one who wants a hard driving beat, loud and brassy vocals, this isn't for you. Also, if you are one who just listens to a new CD once and instantly judges whether or not you will ever give it a second spin...no, I don't think I'd recommend it. But for those appreciative of true singing, of evocative world beats, of jazz that comes naturally from the hearts of the performers, chances are you'll prize this.

Promise, Sades' second album is the album which I believe truly cements thier image as a group to be reckoned with and Ms. Adu songstress extraordinare. While Diamond life was an introduction to the Sade sound, Promise is bluer, more emotional. It wears its heart on it's sleeve and is a favorite of many Sade fans.This is the ultimate rainy day, i just got dumped by with my girlfriend/ boyfriend album. The first track the melodramatic is it a crime sets the tone for a bluesy, sad at times but utterly brilliant sophmore album. The sweetest taboo was the first single off of Promise is still as bewitching as when I first heard it. Never as good as the first time sounds better after each listen. You're not the man is another sad sade song which ranks up there with any Nina Simone song. And my favorite song on promise the raw emotioinal war of the hearts still sends shivers down my spine when i listen to it. What can easily be forgotten is the contribution the rest of the band makes to this Sade. Yes it's Ms. Au's vocals that are haunting an memorable but it's the groups music that gives them their controlled emptional sound. On Punch drunk, the lone instrumantal song is a soothing alternative to the rest of the tracks but it still keeps in stride with thier sound. Overall another winner from Sade and another must have for Sade fans.

Okay, just let me overstate the obvious
and say that all of Sade's albums between
1984's "Diamond Life" and 1992's "Love Deluxe"
are timeless masterworks which will serenade generations
long after the original generation it was introduced to
is long gone!
But Bar None!!---her sophomore effort,
1985's "Promise" was and will forever be her
career-defining masterwork among her other masterworks!

I was a 21-yr old aspiring musician / songwriter who
was just begining to to get my taste of touring with
bands and studio sessionwork.
I was on a trek with a band at that time from
Jacksonville, FL to Memphis, TN and as we were
all chattering away and listening to our own
material as well as the hot jams of the day,
our bassplayer (JV) pulls a cassette out of
his bag and takes off the wrapper.
We ask what it is before we pop it in, and when
he says the new SADE, we already know who she is
because of the success of "Diamond Life".
So everybody asks is it as good as its predecessor
and he gets this big cheshire cat grin on his face
and says.."Just play it!"

We pop it in, and within seconds the cool but smoldering
intro to "Is It A Crime" fills up our time & space!
You could almost hear a collective GASP!! as we were
transfixed by the precision arrangement and the understated
but singularly powerful vocal performance was read...
in a style much like the great Billie Holiday, in
that you don't have to have a huge vocal range
to rock the masses!--It was a sonic orgasm!

As if that wasn't enough, the latin rhythms of
"Sweetest Taboo" began to play and it was if we
had been transported to the Carribean or Brazil
or somewhere beautiful & exotic!
But the pleasant assault did not end there...
The smoky jazz of "War Of The Hearts" with its do or die,
suicide-love lyrics... "You're Not The Man", another
Holiday-esque reading with a laid back track
setting it off perfectly!
Then, there was the song that has since become one
of my top 5 favorite Sade songs...
the haunting "Jezebel", which actually brought
tears to my eyes when I heard it for the first time
with its story of a girl who had to do what she had
to do to get hers, and the astoundingly clever band
with the brilliant Stuart Matthewman at the helm on
both sax and guitars, just as Roberta Flack would say..
"Killing Me Softly"!!
Man, I can't describe what that song does to me!

We were all left reeling after Side 1 was over..
wondering how could what we'd heard be topped!!
Then the "Ba-ba-ba-da-doo-doo" of the James Bond-esque
"Mr. Wrong" began to serenade and recast the spell
that Side 1 had cast!
Then came the rest of the songs on this masterpiece
that we Sade fans all know and love...
"Never Good As The First Time", "Punch Drunk",
"Fear" and the perky "Maureen", which is
another fave of mine!

Needless to say, we had to hear this album about
20 times both going and coming from our gig in Memphis!
Over the years, I have been to two of Sade's U.S.
performances, own all of her CD's, and even had
the pleasure of meeting the band "Sweetback" backstage!

This is true artistry!--Non trendy music that is
classic and just as relevant & moving in 1985
and it will be in 2085 and beyond!
If you don't already have it, get it!

From "Is It A Crime?" to "Maureen", there's nothing on this album that I don't like. Like it's predacessor, "Diamond Life", the entire album has a melancholy feel to it, but this has quite a few tracks you can relax too, but minus love ballad, well a solid one, in my opinion, not that it matters, a genuine love ballad would of killed the entire mood of the album.

Vocally Sade is at her best, until "Love Deluxe" came out. The rest of the band was superb as always, but unlike the other albums, they didn't outshine the vocalists and didn't take a step back when they were needed most (That was the feeling I got on "Lover's Rock"). Everything on this album is as close to perfect.

Favorite tracks include, the jazz/blues-like track, "Is It A Crime" (Do not listen to this track, if you've broken up with your girl/guy, and can't get them out of your head). Another one, of course is "Sweetest Taboo" (not a ballad), up tempo love song playas can dig. "Fear", "War of the Hearts", the super depressing "Maureen", and "Punch Drunk" are some of the other strong tracks on here.

This album is a must have for any die hard fan. I gave this one 5 stars because it stands above all the other classic Sade albums. Promise is to the Sade collection, what the Black Lion is to Voltron. So if this album isn't in your collection, get it.

Ms. Sade Adu is the most amazing person. She makes the most amazing music. I wouldn't call this album her best, because all of her albums are the bomb. Sade's music really can't fall under a category, because it's unique. Today, I found her albums under the Pop/Rock sign at the music store. Way untrue. Her music goes under the title "Oh my gosh, it's Sade! She's so cool! I absolutely have to get that CD!". If you disagree, feel free to e-mail me.

There is nowhere in this world where you can find such stylings as such as these. This is one of a kind. Sade is totally special. Totally.

Anyone who hasn't heard any of her songs has not lived. On this album, I wear out the CD listening to "Never as Good As the First Time" (which I'm listening to at this very moment), "The Sweetest Taboo", "Maureen", and "Tar Baby". Even though some of her songs are kind of hard to comprehend (Or maybe it's just me because I'm a 7th grader), I still love them and the challenge of trying to understand the meaning of the songs.

It's nice to see some versatility on Sade's part. She has instrumentals on her albums (like Fear), which is a good thing. It calms me down after getting keyed up from another song.

So whenever you're looking to relax after a hard day, or just plain in the musical mood, take the time to settle down with a nice serving of Sade with more Sade on the side.

I used to say that my all time favorite Sade albums were Stronger Than Pride and Love Deluxe. Now I have to add Promise to that list. Released just 9 months after Diamond Life (unfortunately the gap between albums would spread further and further), Promise continues the cool cat jazz of their debut while exploring more Latin and exotic influences. All of these songs give off an air of intimacy. Like being transported to a smoky jazz club in the 30s.

The brassy torch song Is It A Crime finds Sade obsessing over an ex and asking herself "is it a crime?/That I still want you?/And I want you to want me too?" even though she knows he's not worth it. He has a new lover, but Sade reminds him that what she's got is better. "My love is wider/Wider than Victoria Lake/My lover is taller/Taller than the Empire State!" For the critics who blast Sade for having a "thin" voice, give this track a spin. The girl can belt when she wants to.

Now who doesn't know The Sweetest Taboo? It's easily one of the group's signature songs along with Smooth Operator and No Ordinary Love. The sound of rain (no, this isn't a Janet album) opens and closes this delicious island flavored jam about a man who makes Sade believe that "everyday is Christmas and every night is New Year's Eve." I'm not sure what the sweetest taboo actually is, but it sounds amazing.

Using the "love as a gun" theme, War of the Hearts is about being ready to let a lover go, but at the same time wanting to call a truce and mend fences. "I'm loaded/Don't know where to point this thing/It's a sin/How we hit where it hurts/Who's calling the shots/One of us must end this masquerade/To have or to have not/Let's heal the wounds that we've made." Sade's voice has just the right amount of emotion and the music is hypnotic. One of the best songs on the whole album. Sade comes to realize that the guy she fell in love with is not who she thought he was on the sultry You're Not the Man. "You're not the man/Who threw me a lifeline" and "You're not the one/Who said he'd never leave/Couldn't breathe and could not sleep/Without me!" Stuart's sax (which is legendary!) brings the feeling of disappointment home.

I love Sade's "people" songs. She's one of the few artists that can tell a spellbinding story with so few words. The haunting Jezebel is one of them. The title character is a beautiful girl who uses her looks and body to get her through life. In other words, she's a hooker. "Reach for the top she said/And the sun is gonna shine/Every winter was a war she said/I want to get what's mine!" Sade simply shares the story, but there's a hint of sympathy in her vocals. A light scat opens the cold as ice Mr. Wrong. A young woman has fallen in love with a man who "don't care where's he's been playin'/He doesn't hear a word she's sayin'", but she refuses to leave him. Sade implores her to "get out on your own, girl/Show him how/You can be strong, girl/Don't need him now/Run away, pretty girl!/Say so long/Mr. Wrong!" I love how it starts off quiet with just some bongos and a guitar, but then builds up to Stu's sax exploding with passion.

Speaking of the sax, it's able to take over the spotlight on the electric instrumental Punch Drunk. Sade's other bandmates Paul and Andrew join Stuart in bringing the house down with such elegance and class. Makes you realize they're just as amazing performing without Sade. Sweetback's the name and I highly recommend checking out both of their efforts, but I digress.

The album version of Never As Good As the First Time is a bit more dated than the single version and doesn't include backup singer Leroy Osbourne's vocals, but it's just as good. Sade reflects on the thrill of falling in love for the first time. "So we rely on the past/The special moments that last/Were they as tender as we dare to remember?" My favorite part is the middle where Sade sings "Natural as/the way we came to be/Second time/won't live up to the dream" with the funky keyboard jamming away along side her.

Who knew Ms. Adu was bilingual? Well she is on the Spanish inflected Fear. In both English and Spanish, she tells the story of a matador's wife who fears for her husband's sport might lead to his death. "Blue is the color of the red sky/Will he/Will he come home tonight?/Blue is the color that she feels inside/Matador I can't hide/My fear anymore!" The track is steeped in cinematic drama from the start and then reaches an intense climax, but Sade's voice never loses it's cool. The smoothly arranged Tar Baby is about a mixed race baby born to a mother who is at first ashamed of it ("Tar baby told the secret she conceived"), but then accepts that "Honey it's with me/That you belong" and celebrates it's existence. "A golden thread/Inside of a web/That I got caught in/Oh, it's a lover's revenge, but out of the pain/Come the best things."

Musically Maureen is upbeat and happy, but the lyrics and Sade's voice are tinged with sadness. Reminiscing about an old friend and the fun times they shared growing up, Sade remembers that "I'm never gonna see you again, Maureen." Maybe her friend passed away. I'm not sure. It's a sad track that makes you feel down, but puts a smile on your face at the same time.

Sade's next album Stronger Than Pride would limit Stuart's sax to only a few tracks and strip away the jazz cafe styling of the first two albums, but still drip with soul. They always do.

Rather than have to choose and explain which of Sade's albums is her "masterpiece," I prefer to call her entire oeuvre "genius." This album, however, has particular emotional resonance for me, and I suppose it will always be my favourite of her great works. The single "The Sweetest Taboo" was released right around the time I met my first love, and the song is a beautiful tribute to finding the one love which makes every night feel "like New Year's eve" (In fact, I first heard the song on New Year's eve). I remember critics and other musical "experts" panning this album in the mid-'80s, saying it was one-note and bland. The lyrics are rich, raw, and intimate, and the music is accordingly light enough (it could almost be called "porous" at times) to not overpower the emotion of the words. Stuart Matthewman's searing saxophone breakthroughs in "Is it a Crime" and "Jezebel," for instance, only punctuate the jaggedness of the emotion expressed. "Maureen" is a lively, touching yet still fun tribute to a departed friend. "Tar Baby" is amazingly personal and a great showcase for a beautifully distinctive voice. The original vinyl album did not contain the instrumental "Punch Drunk" and the powerful "You're Not the Man," yet I cannot imagine "Promise" without these lovely pieces, particularly the latter. "You're Not the Man" is a brilliant testament to the disappointments in love, a fitting companion to "The Sweetest Taboo," two sides of this great defining moment in life. In fact, I think this album will stand as the great defining moment of a great musical legacy. What an amazing talent!

Sade is hard to define. She is not quite jazz, not quite R&B, not quite pop, and not quite "easy listening." She really defies all attempts at categorization. All we can say is that she is, or rather, they are: Sade. Though Sade Adu (born Helen Folasade Adu to a Nigerian father and English mother) is the focal point of the music and often appears solo in the videos, "Sade" is a group.

This album starts with what is one of the highlights of Sade's career: "Is It a Crime". This has a "big band" feel to it, with Sade as the torch singer asking her former lover if it is a "a crime" that she still loves him and wants him back. I can't imagine that it would be...

"The Sweetest Taboo," with its insatiable tropical feel, makes me think of Sade on the beach, maybe in Rio, Jamaica, or Ivory Coast. Sometimes Sade thinks her lover is too good for her...but every day is Christmas...

"War of the Hearts" is a rare occurance on a Sade album: filler. It's a song about a break up, or a confusing attempt to rekindle a failed relationship.

"You're Not the Man" is a midtempo song about disillusionment. Sade has found that her partner will not go to the lengths she thought he would for her.

"Jezebel" is the sad tale of a girl from a poor family who turns to the profession synonymous with her name. It could be seen as a foreshadow to "Pearls" on the "Love Delux" album in that it celebrates the determination of a seemingly powerless woman to survive, all the while refusing to make the situation appear any less tragic than it is. The haunting melody of this ballad is one of the most mournful of Sade's career.

"Mr. Wrong" is what it sounds like, a song about coming to terms with being with the wrong man. It's actually a narrative; Sade sings about a mismatched couple.

"Punch Drunk" is an instrumental with no vocals provided by Sade.

"Never as Good as the First Time" is reminiscent of "The Sweetest Taboo" in its hedonistic/tropical feel. Sade laments that, well, the title pretty much says it all...

"Fear" is an interesting song. It is partially sung in Spanish with numerous references to matadors. Sade's Spanish accent is not quite "authentic," but it's a respectable attempt. The song seems to be about coming to terms with the fear of being loved.

"Tar Baby" is an uptempo song about a child born out-of-wedlock. At first deemed a mistake, the mother comes to realize what a blessing the child is, that he is her "golden thread" inside of a web she was caught in.

"Maureen" is a curiously uptempo song. Curious because it is about the loss of Sade's friend. "You were my best friend, I'm never going to see you again." But it is a very enjoyable song, and it is perhaps the only song where the debate over the pronunciation of her name is finally settled; who would know better than the lady herself how her name is said? The debate is settled when she refers to herself as: "SHAW-day."

Throughout it all, there is Sade's voice (except, as noted, on "Punch Drunk"). Her voice is indescribable and mysterious. It's mysterious because it is not really that "good" of a voice in terms of technique. Sade seldom displays a range of more than five notes (and at times she doesn't even hit them directly). But they are a heartbreaking and haunting five notes. Others may be able to hit the notes as well as Sade, or even hit many more, but they do not have that voice of hers! Its silk committed to music, and in one note she can convey the pain of a lifetime. Being a good singer encompasses far more than technical mastery.

The title of this album refers to a letter Sade received from her father. In the letter her father revealed to Sade that he had cancer, and he referred to the "promise of hope" that he would recover.