John Aizlewood CD OFTHEWEEK Whatever darkness Sade Adu has embraced since 1992’s distracted Love Deluxe, she has certainly undergone a musical re-evaluation. Much derided, more often than not correctly, as brazenly coffee-table, Sade (the never-changing band as well as its singer) have tapped into a new seam of inspiration on the newly released Lovers Rock (Epic).
Adu’s voice sweeps all before it, aided by a spartan but intriguing mix, particularly on The Sweetest Gift, where Stuart Matthewman’s empathetic acoustic highlights Adu’s quiet barnstorming. That voice has matured: once frigid and frosty, she is now queen of pain never yielding control merely exacerbates the effect. The moving opener By Your Side sets the tone its intensely devotional lyrics will loosen many a dammed tear duct while Immigrant is a taut Windrush tale. An extraordinary record from a most unlikely source.