Customer Reviews

Stronger Than Pride

5 star:		(49)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Ask anyone to name Miles Davis' three most influential works and "Kind of Blue" will no doubt be one of them. Unanimously considered one of jazz's most important recordings, the album consisted of songs that were compositionally minimal, giving Miles and his band so much space to play with, it naturally lead to growth and expansion. Sade and her band tried a similar approach on their third outing, 1988's "Stronger than Pride." Leaving behind the lush, thickly-chorded approach to songwriting found on their first two albums, here the group opted for strikingly simple songs; half of them only have three or four chords each. But the room this affords Sade's luminous voice is priceless, and when combined with the subtle production effects sprinkled tastefully throughout the record, you have something of a pop-flavored modern jazz classic.

"Love is Stronger than Pride" relies on tom-toms for its backbone, and keyboard effects from the late 80's should by all accounts sound dated...but here they do not. Acoustic guitar accents are littered about, and the final result, a warm and blissful sensuality, is perfect for lyrics like "I can't hate you, though I have tried/I still really, really love you/love is stronger than pride." The album's smash single, "Paradise," consists of one bass line and two chords (three, if you count the spontaneous-sounding variation the keyboardist throws in near the end), but the song lacks for nothing. Instead of using chord changes to break up the song, we instead have very distinct verses, choruses, and a bridge, thanks to subtle changes in vocal melody. "Keep Looking," another sultry midtempo treasure, and the album's other hit, "Nothing Can Come Between Us" boast a couple more chords but essentially use a similar approach.

For those fans that appreciate Sade's slower, percussionless ballads, the record offers the Spanish folk-flavored "Haunt Me" (considering her vocals here, a most appropriate title indeed), and the gorgeous "I Never Thought I'd See the Day," a ballad so open it's almost impossible not to envision the massive expanse of an ocean at sunset while listening. Featuring only ethereal keyboards, strings, and the occasional muted trumpet flourish, there's an incredible amount of space in the song's production; occasionally you can even hear the hi-hat keeping time that the microphone must have picked up from Sade's headphones while she sang. The mood here inspires one of Sade's strongest performances, with an impressive range of texture and projection onhand. The sweet ballad "Clean Heart" and the seductive instrumental "Siempre Hay Esperanza" are the sort of material you'd expect from Sade, but on the irresistible "Turn My Back on You," the band gives hint to the harder-hitting, funk-laced pop that would make up the bulk of their next album, 1992's "Love Deluxe." Here a massive drum beat and thick bass line give the song a sturdy backbone, but the jazz guitar and Rhodes keyboards are subtle, and with Sade's high, breathy vocal (generously reverbed), you're faced with an altogether different kind of funk, the kind you can either dance to at a club or seduce with in the privacy of your own home.

Initially criticized by some for a predictable sound, "Stronger than Pride" certainly stands taller when viewed in retrospect. Sade may not have the most varied approach to singing, but the beauty and purity of her voice makes it able to go anywhere, and the giant leaps in production prove that her band realized this. A crisp remaster for 2000 makes it nearly three-dimensional, and what you're left with is one of music's most distinctive voices and bands offering a stellar work rich in experimentation of groove and production. Anyone interested in how to make a pop record more interesting will no doubt learn volumes from "Stronger than Pride." And everyone else can just drown in the beauty.

I am a huge Sade fan, so needless to say, when I was browsing through this site and saw that a box set of her CDs is being released at the end of the month, I was thrilled. Interesting, though, that this one is not included. Sade's third CD (after Diamond Life and Promise, the latter of which was mistaken for her first CD rather than her second) is indeed a little off the beaten path. It has more of a Latin flavor than the other three, which might have made the album more popular had it been released this year. It doesn't stand out as much as her other albums, and I agree with a previous reviewer who said that some of the songs sound similar to stuff that she has already done. I don't think that those who are new to Sade should pick this one as an introduction to the band's music. This is not to say that it isn't good -- the first cut 'Love is Stronger Than Pride' makes this CD a keeper by itself -- but a listener won't appreciate how the departure from the sound of the previous 2 CDs makes this one worth listening to unless he or she is already familiar with Sade. I love it primarily because I loved the first two, but can see where it comes down after 'Promise', hence the 4 star rating.

Stronger Than Pride is probably Sade's most stripped down and sparse album. Rather than offer any particular standout singles, it seems more like a concept album. I'm not saying it doesn't offer good individual songs, but that all songs meld together to create a continuous sense of sophistication and understated elegance, two hallmarks of the Sade sound. But the elegance and sophistication is so understated, so refined, so austere, that it is perhaps best for a diehard fan and not a good place for the new fan to start. For a new fan, I would recommend starting with Diamond Life or perhaps Best of Sade.

The other sensation this album evokes, also a hallmark of the Sade sound, is melancholy. Haunt Me, Keep Looking, I Never Thought I'd See the Day, and many of the other songs (save for the tropical and romantic Paradise) have a somewhat lonely, sad undertone. It reminds me of Eddie Murphy's comments in the movie "Boomerang." He tells Halle Berry that he is having the kind of sad day where he just wants to go home, stare at the wall, and listen to Sade. I'm sure he listened to Love is Stronger Than Pride quite a few times that day.

There are, however, two songs that stand out for me.

Love is Stronger Than Pride is almost a hymn. After the betrayal of a lover, Sade is opening her heart again, admitting that though she's not good at forgiving she may give her lover another chance because, after all, love is stronger than pride. And since this song seems to be a hymn to forgiveness, it always makes me think of "A Course In Miracles," the spiritual book that says we find peace through forgiveness. Love is Stronger Than Pride came into my life back in 1997 when I first found "A Course In Miracles." They seemed to be perfect companions. Love is Stronger Than Pride was my theme song for a car trip I took with my friend, Mary Jean, back in 1997. We visited Multnomah Falls and Bridge of the Gods, on the Columbia River Gorge outside of Portland. The mist of the falls seemed a metaphor for the mist of forgiveness.

But the song that haunts me most is Clean Heart. At first, it comes across as a suave mid-tempo R&B song. Sade's delicate voice is little more than a whisper, almost drowned out by the rhythm section. It's the kind of breezy song you can't help but snap your fingers to. I couldn't understand the lyrics, which was fine because they seemed inconsequential, but from the gentle melody and sunny, laidback atmosphere, I figured it was a simple love song. Perhaps a predecessor to Cherish the Day.

After a few listens, I decided to take a look at the lyric sheet. My intuition, however, told me that doing so might be against better judgment. It seems that every time I think a song is light and fluffy, I later find a darker meaning. Once again, my intuition proved correct. The lyric sheet reveals that Clean Heart is actually about a man involved in a life of crime, in an attempt to escape a life of poverty.

"He straightened his belt, and with a lover's touch, he said I'm gonna bring home the things that are out of your clutch."

But the line that really gets me choked up, the line that haunts me, is, "He loved his daddy, though he never told him. And how he loved his mother. He loved, he loved her like, like an Italian."

Andrew Olivo

I don't understand why Stronger Than Pride is not considered one of Sade's best albums ever. Stronger is the record which converted me into a Sade fan. Prior to hearing Stronger, I liked "Your Love is King" and that was about it. "Hang on to Your Love" and "Smooth Operator" have always been unimpressive to me. Stronger has some of the best lyrics and melodies ever heard on record. Sade's best song ever has to be "Clean Heart". Granted, some of the songs which have more dance oriented leanings don't showcase what the band or the lady are truly capable of accomplishing on record, but they are not horrible tracks. I loved this cd so much, I was prompted to purchase "Promise" which came out 3 years prior to Stronger's release. "Promise" is a great album as well, but I don't think anything on it matches the lyrical content or melodic feeling of "Clean Heart", "Haunt Me" or "Love Is Stronger Than Pride".

Sade continues to evolve and show the world that they are truly in a class by themselves. If you haven't seen their live show, you are missing out.

This album, of course, initially came out over 10 years ago and has been reviewed by many others for its content. My two cents is that EVERY Sade album is excellent. What can I say? I'm a big fan. It probably helps that there are 3-5 years between each album, so that (a) the band has more time to create good songs, one of Sade's strengths and (b) I'm not as aware of the similarity between the albums in terms of "style." Sade hasn't changed much over the past 20 years, but that's fine by me. (What a disappointment when Everything But The Girl decided to become middle-aged club kids!)

I wanted to review this cd now to address the remastering. First I will state that I live in the U.S. and initially had all of Sade's cd's on U.S. pressings. Some of the original U.S. cd's were truly dreadful -- particularly the first album. All of the remastered discs improve on the original U.S. editions.

Being a large fan of Sade, however, and also being a huge music collector in general, I scour a lot of used cd shops. Over the years I found copies of each Sade cd that were made in what's now known as the EU (some were actually from the UK, I think, and some from Germany). Imagine my surprise when I compared the original EU cd with the remastered US version only to discover that the original EU cd is far superior. Not only does it not chop off the last few seconds of the first and title track (presumably faded early by the US remastering engineer because he/she believed the four notes heard in the fade were "noise" not intended to be heard), but the EU cd is just generally more musical sounding. A well made cd from 15 years ago (meaning it was mixed properly and then mastered from a properly made master) can still sound very good. I think that whoever did these US remasterings, while finding better master tapes, also took the liberty of doing a lot of re-EQ'ing and also possibly noise shaping (processing the signal at a higher bit ratio and then shaping the signal down to the cd's 16-bit standard). The US remaster doesn't have the dynamic range of the original EU version, the soundstage is somewhat reduced, and in general is just less musically involving.

If you're only comparison is the original US disc, then I think you'll be quite pleased with the remaster. But this remaster could have been done better by simply "ripping" the data off an original EU disc and then manufacturing new cd's for the US market.

5 stars for the content of the cd, 3 stars for the remastering.

Sade's "Stronger than Pride," the followup to the No. 1 "Promise," sold less than its predecessor and wasn't totally embraced by the critcs, who sometimes dismissed the singer's music as tasteful but lightweight. To be sure, this album doesn't grab the listener as instantly as "Promise" did, but on its own terms, "Stronger than Pride" holds up well. Ironically, the album's weakest cut happens to be the Top Ten hit "Paradise," but elsewhere, this CD is a goldmine. I can't get enough of the beautiful "Nothing Can Come Between Us," and "Turn My Back On You" is a minimal, yet highly effective, slice of jazzy funk. "I'd Never Thought I'd See the Day," is a moody, gentle ballad, while "Keep Looking" is also pretty good as well. Productionwise, it's a slight departure from her last two records. Stuart Matthewman's sax is absent, focusing on solid basslines, soulful guitars, and decent drums. I wouldn't recommend "Paradise" to a casual listener, for it really can't be appreciated for its beauty unless you've listened to her prior two albums. While "Stronger Than Pride" may be her fussiest album, its strengths become more apparent after each listen.

This is a difficult album to review, mostly becaue it is so special to me. To be honest i must admit right off the bat that this is my favorite sade album. Stronger than pride is the third album from the group Sade. By this time the group, at least the lead singer Helen Folasade Adu was well known across the globe for their brand of lounge soul music. Stronger than pride has a decidedly latin flavor to it although you wouldn't be able to tell that from the first track Love is stronger than pride. This has to be the best Sade ballad I've heard from her. It is a superior song in every sense of the word from the haunting music to her heartwrenching vocals to the poetic but so true lyrics. The rest of Love is equally as powerful as any other Sade album. Paradise put plainly is simply a beautiful song about love which Sade does so well. Nothing can come between us is an intimate song about lovers which is another favorite of mine. Haunt me is another melancholy song which is enhanced by the haunting acoustic guitar that accompanies it. What was a suprise in listening to Love is is that there some funk on it. Funk isn't something that you immediately think of when you put on a sade record but it's there. Turn my bacl on you, keep looking and Siempre Hay Esperanza are about as funky as a sade album will get. The basslines in theses three tracks makes these sangs especially turn my back on you (gulp ) almost danceable. While this may not have been her most popular album, many critics complain that she is treading over the same material again. ( Who cares if it's as this good ! )This will probably keep this album from being thougfht of as a classic by anyone except me. Like one reviewer said that this album isn't for beginners. It's more like an album for the connoisseur of fine Sade music.

The opening title track is easily her best ballad. Listen to it in a room all alone on a rainy, quiet afternoon. The gentle, soothing, African-flavored percussion and muted guitar backing will have you floating on a cloud. When she intones "I still really, really love you, love is stronger than pride", you will be instantly enveloped in her womanly warmth. The upfront bass and drums of "Paradise" will draw you in even deeper and the rest of "Stronger..." is just as inviting. Several tracks from this album have become light FM jazz staples, and with good reason. Sade (the entire band, not just the lead vocalist) create upscale, classy, relaxing yet urbane and imaginitive music that sounds perfect in any enviroment. "....Pride" is a welcome addition to any collection, and will both relax and uplift you with every listen. This wonderful album hasn't aged a day since 1988 and is highly reccommened.

Stronger Than Pride came out to high expectations in 1988. After the quiet storm revolution caused by the first two albums, people were expecting the group's (yes, Sade is a group) third album to make a similar impact. When it came out, reviews were decidedly mixed. Critics started to use words like "muzak" and "elevator music." In all honesty, the album is characterized by a certain lassitude, lacking the shimmering pulse of Promise and Diamond Life. The musical landscape is muted, low key, and not very varied throughout. As a fan, I was a bit disappointed when it came out.

Why then is it still playing on my CD player 13 years later? Well, since then, the group has done Love Deluxe (1992) and Lovers Rock (2000), in addition to releasing the Best of Sade (1994). That has put Stronger Than Pride into some context. Musically, you can hear the band evolving towards the style that would be prominent on Love Deluxe and Lovers Rock (Sade's two best albums): lean arrangements, economical words and vocals, with the accent being placed on the nuances of the delivery. Paradise, for instance, consists of a heavy bass line and just two chords played over and over again while Sade's voice coasts over the groove. Haunt Me, the album's most magical moment, is even more stripped down. Here, Sade's voice is simply adorned by acoustic guitar and piano, all the emotions of love and longing stripped down to their essence and poured into two short verses. The Washington Post reviewer called her songs "musical haiku." He must have been thinking of this particular track. I Never Thought I'd See The Day is elegant in the same vein: spartan arrangement, haunting, melancholy vocal.

Other than these three terrific songs and a couple of good midtempo tracks (Nothing Can Come Between Us, Keep Looking), the rest of the album seems distracted: the plodding Turn My Back On You (a failed attempt at funk), the meandering instrumental Siempre Hay Esperanza, and a couple of quite limp songs. All in all, it's a good, though not terrific album. Of all their albums, this one most bears out the "musical wallpaper" charge that has been sometimes levelled against the band. But at least it's a harbinger of their most accomplished albums to come.

Oftentimes when I read reviews of an artists album, it amazes me how some people, most often NOT fans, can pick an artist apart. NO artist makes music that appeals to all fans all the time, but SADE comes as close as you can get. Even those few songs that you may not be crazy about, you still like. And this pertains to EVERY ONE of her albums.
If I had to choose, I'd have to say that the title song, Stronger than Pride, is my all time favorite. It speaks of a Love seldom seen or practiced in this world of no forgiveness, no tolerance, none of the time. It is a beautiful, haunting song that conjures up memories of lovers lost, yet still loved. It sets the stage for the rest of the cd, of which you will find yourself at the end of before you realize it. That's a good thing.
The beauty of SADE is that her fans can FEEL in her the love she sings about. You feel as if you can almost see and touch it, it is so strong. Though we know she's not perfect, she emanates a purity of love that we all long to experience. She seems at times almost mythical. That is why, instead of fading in our hearts during her prolonged abscences, our yearning for her only grows stronger!