There has never been a singer quite like Sade Adu. Although she is of Nigerian origin, and her voice is clearly that of a woman of color, she is equally influenced by her English upbringing; the resulting combination of African heat and British coolness, particularly when combined with her band's elegant mixture of both American and European jazz idioms, is as original today as when it first appeared. Superficially cool and seemingly detached, everything about the band simmers with an underlying passion.

While Adu and her band (collectively known as Sade) have done many memorable recordings since they debuted, DIAMOND LIFE remains their single finest recording: it is pure liquid elegance every step of the way. Opening with "Smooth Operator," which makes particularly good use of Stuart Matthewman on sax, the entire collection flows effortlessly from cut to cut--some dark, some slightly dissonate, some slightly upbeat, and every one of them memorable in the most haunting way imaginable.

Like "Smooth Operator," both "Your Love Is King" and "Hang on to Your Love" actually broke into the charts as singles--a truly amazing feat for a jazz-oriented club band in the ultra-synthetic 1980s. But in truth, be it "Cherry Pie," "When Am I Gonna Make A Living," or "Sally," there isn't a bad cut on the entire CD. Everything shimmers with a sultry yet subtle beauty, pulling you into an atmosphere in which you seem to feel the pulse of a midnight lounge, the atmosphere of the club scene fromw which Sade emerged.

As a band, Sade is sexy, cool, smart, delicately shaded, and brilliantly shaped, and the aptly titled DIAMOND LIFE is perhaps one of the best debut recordings made over the past fifty years. Mix yourself a drink, turn the lights down low, drop it on the stereo, and dream of smoke, the clink of cocktail glasses, and the murmur of voices gone suddenly silent when the band begins to play. Strongly recommended.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

Sade Adu and her group are unique in their smooth, but always rythmic style, with the jazz interplay, with the Nigerian beat that puts this in a place of their own in pop music.

There's a rythym, a plan, to this debut CD, a placing of four of the best songs at the very forefront: The signature "Smooth Operator", the more intimate "Your Love Is King", the relaxed yet playful and inviting "Hang On To Your Love" in which the instrumentalists have a stronger voice and effect on the cut, "Frankie's First Affair" which seems to me a nod to legendary standard favorite "Frankie and Johnny" (strictly my impression). The next song, "When Am I Going to Make A Living", seems weaker to me, but provides a little balance after the strong opening group. "Cherry Pie" and "Sally" bring us back up, maybe not to the peak of the opening four, but "Cherry Pie" especially is exciting, and "Sally" pretty well keeps us going. "I Will Be Your Friend" and "Why Can't We Live Together" round out the CD, and seem to me more run of the mill, but still suitable to relax, listen to, and enjoy.

My enjoyment of Sade comes from the fact that she actually sings without loud, overly dramatic emoting, and the softer moments of her songs have us listening attentively, in her spell. Those who prefer the loud and the brassy won't likely enjoy it, but if you appreciate melody, harmony, some good jazz, and a spicy African beat, I honestly think you will want this CD.

This is an old album (I never thought 1984 would become old, lol!) but I was reminded of it while preparing my first Listmania list, for my 40 favourite albums (yes, it definitely made the list). This album reminds me of UK music magazines Smash Hits, Record Mirror, and Blues & Soul (ah, the days when hardcopies of magazines and music ruled) as it came out while these were the magazines of the day, and Sade was a regular visitor to their pages.

"Diamond Life" is the debut release from Nigerian chanteuse Folasade Adu and her Band, simply known by the moniker Sade (an abbreviation of her first name). A sleek catchy hybrid of Pop, Soul and Jazz, the album was a multi-million seller and won Sade the Grammy for best newcomer. It showcased excellent musicianship and clever lyrics, rarely bettered even today.

Right from the group's image (her ponytails, large hoop earrings and backless dresses), and the fantastic blue-tinged black and white cover art (giving a retro look to match the sound), everything about this album reeked sheer class, which permeated right through the nine tracks on the album.

Opening cut (and a favourite of mine), the aptly titled dramatic "Smooth operator" with percolating percussion, spoken intro with dramatic flourishes, sprinkled with tenor sax, and that dusky Blues-y voice telling the tale of this western male who goes from "Coast to coast, LA to Chicago" is still a classic to this day, much like anything by Ella or Billie I daresay.

Other standouts are the swinging horn-peppered "Your love is king", the retro funk of "When am I going to make a living" (with semi-biographical lyrics about perseverance despite the hard times the band faced before hitting the limelight, this was well before American Idol remember), the tender and lovely "I will be your friend", and the reworking of Timmy Thomas' paean for racial harmony "Why can't we live together" (with an extremely long brilliant jazzy intro, and rich in congas). Another favourite of mine is the groovy "Cherry pie" with a killer bassline and dreamy echoing vocal effects.

This album stood out when it came out (and that was a time crowded with great music mind you; Prince, MJ, Madonna, Duran Duran, Bowie, Kool & the Gang) and it is easy to see why. Additionally, unlike most other winners of the Grammy newcomer award, every subsequent studio release by Sade has been brilliant and gone platinum, confirming that they (the Grammys that is) definitely got it right that time. The music scene (in the UK at least) has come full cycle with loads of young girls (Amy Winehouse, Adele, Duffy et all) hearkening back to a time when music was, well, music.

First off, I need to point out that when Epic decided to release remastered versions of all her albums, they released the cassette with an additional track, Love Affair With Life, but left it off the CD. How smart is that? Buy the cassette just for that track alone - it's a gorgeous, melancholy torch song which she sings with sparse accompaniment (piano, lonely sax). It's Sade at her smoky, soulful best.

Now to the rest of the album. What can I say that hasn't been said about it already? For a debut, it's a stunner (and, if I'm not wrong, it's still the best selling debut by a British female artist). She's made better records since (including Love Deluxe and the awesome Lovers Rock), but Diamond Life is still a very accomplished and sophisticated record. Of course, Smooth Operator is here, but the best track is the soul gem Your Love Is King. It's an erotic song, but its words are thoughtful and meditative, reflecting the post-coital contentment of a woman in love. Sally is another knockout track, brilliant in its lyrical depth and jazzy delivery. (Sade is a great lyricist, something she's not credited often for.) Written as a tribute to the Salvation Army, it tells the story of three men rescued off the streets by "Sally," and shows Sade's skill at writing songs with vivid character development.

Diamond Life is great start to a career that seems to grow from strength to strength. (Pity it's a none too prolific career, but I suppose she emphasizes quality over quantity.) For an 80s album, it still sounds sumptuous and relevant (compared to, say, a Thompson Twins or Culture Club album, which you can only listen to with embarassment). I guess timeless is the word for it.

"Diamond Life," Sade's debut album, was not only a great introduction to Sade's smoky vocals, but very indicative of the direction in which the band was going.

Side one opens with Sade's now-almost-cliche hit single "Smooth Operator." This is very similar to ABBA's "Voulez-Vous?" in content, about a pick-up artist in a club, but takes a totally different musical direction. ABBA's up-beat disco is replaced by Sade Adu's exotically smooth voice. Two more hits follow, with the mid-tempo "Your Love is King" and the higher energy (for Sade) of "Hang on to Your Love." "Frankie's First Affair" is a pleasantly jazzy affair, while "When Am I Going to Make a Living?" is not-too-memorable, but nicely done filler.

Side two throws four more, fairly interchangeable songs at the listener. "Cherry Pie" is pleasant, as is "Sally," although it deals with a slightly darker theme, and "I Will Be Your Friend" is a cheery number, with a rich vocal hook. Finally, "Why Can't We Live Together," a cover of a Timmy Thomas song, is an unfortunately bland way to end a fine first album.

Since it has no songs as torch-ish as "Is It a Crime?" or as involved lyrically as "Like a Tattoo," this album does not show the total scope of Sade's voice and music, but it is a good place for a new Sade listener to delve into.