I will admit a bit of inconsistency in my way of thinking. Yes, I was a bit put off by Stronger Than Pride because I was expecting another Promise or Diamond Life. Yet when I heard "No Ordinary Love" and heard that Paul Denman's opening throbbing bass and Sade's still-sensuous vocals, I was blown away. Maybe it was because it had been four years and there was a quiet storm needed to counter all the grunge that was crawling from the woodwork (no offense intended to that genre, BTW) So, yes, I accepted the fact that the quartet were a kind of light jazz/R&B hybrid, and "No Ordinary Love", with its yearning, appealing, and affirmation, "I keep crying/I keep trying for you baby/there's nothing like you and I, baby" was the best Sade song I'd heard since the Promise album.

"Feel No Pain" paints a moving portrait of a ghetto family's hardships. All the family has been laid off. Sade pleads for them, "Help them to live life/help them to smile/don't let them stay home and listen to the blues." Done in the group's new style, Andrew Hale's held-down backing synth chords provide the sordid atmosphere. The equating of a job with pride is emphasized in the two contrasting emotions: "do you know how that feels/to walk the street with your head held high/.../did you ever see a man break down?"

The mid-paced and lush "I Couldn't Love You More" is another affirmation of romantic fealty, with piano chords and airy keyboards adding to the atmosphere. Simple lyrics, but effective.

Stuart Matthewman's gentle guitars set the mood for the love lament of "Like A Tattoo". Keyboards come into play when the mood goes up a notch.

The sound of the love celebration "Kiss Of Life" reminds me of some of their Promise material, such as "Tar Baby." The entire band's teamwork really shows up here, and Nick Ingman's strings really add to the loveliness of this tune.

One of their mellower tunes, the love surrender "Cherish The Day" follows, with the airy keyboards and drums predominating. Must be some kinda man to elicit, "You're ruling the way that I move/you take my air."

The melancholy and hearbreaking "Pearls", complete with Ingman's strings and a cello, is about a Somalian woman living a hard life, the blistering sun overhead, searching for pearls. "This is how she's dying/she's dying to survive," sings Sade, and at the same time, lauds her strength. "She lives in a world she didn't choose/and it hurts like brand new shoes." Sade's voice really reaches an emotional peak throughout the song, and especially when she sings "Hallelujah."

The slow "Bullet Proof Soul" uses the love/gun analogy, and the woman says that love hit her like a slow bullet. She then warns the man that only a bullet proof soul can resist her.

The instrumental "Mermaid" conjures up the deep blue ocean, and the otherwordly sounds the fantasy world of mermaids.

I'm still not going to try to explain why I can handle their sound here and not on the previous album. All I can say is that it soothes me. Eight years and four albums and still the same lineup of Adu (vocals), Matthewman (sax), Denman (bass), and Hale (keyboards), so not bad at all. They are tighter and cohesive, yet I notice the gradual buildup of other players on the scene that really took shape in Stronger Than Pride, such as Leroy Osbourne (vocals) and Nick Ingman (string arrangements). I'm unaware of what a near-decade break did for Sade on Lover's Rock, but I'm sure to find out sometime in the future. So a "Pearls"-style "hallelujah" for Love Deluxe!

Never has repetition worked so well! From the hypnotic bass groove of the opening "No Ordinary Love" this remarkable band uses space, and the lightest embellishments to wondrous effect. Paul S. Denman anchors every song with some of the most understated yet innovative bass playing ever recorded. His deep, sliding, funky bass playing makes "Feel No Pain" a virtual masterpiece of minimalism, and he gets downright buttery as he hangs in the background on "I Couldn't Love You More" and "Cherish The Day". Stuart Matthewman (guitar & sax) Andrew Hale (keyboards) and the underappreciated Leroy Osborne (backing vocals) help round out this solid, transistional effort. The spare, stripped down funky soundscapes painted here chart the the direction these men would follow 4 years later in Sweetback. Ms. Adu as always is in wonderful voice. Her achingly lovely contralto is front and center on every cut, (the instrumental piece that closes the album being the only exception) and you can actually hear tears in her delivery on tracks like "Cherish The Day", "Kiss Of Life" and the acoustic gem "Like A Tattoo". Not a bad song to be found here, and none of it ever sounds dated or pretentious. A Modern Classic.

I'm the number one fan of Sade, of course. So I would like to

tell you that this cd (and all of her others) is a must have for

your music library! It sounds timeless, the volcals are purely

sade, smoky and breezy. At the time that this cd came out, I

was going through a 3 month seperation from my partner and my

heart felt like it had been kicked around and then run over.

Sade's song "I couldn't love you more" inspired me to mend things

back together in my relationship. Well, long story short, we are

still together, and will be celebrating 16 years together.

Believe me, there will be a lot of "Love Deluxe"

playing at our anniversary party. Sade always has the

talent to make a grown man cry. Her love songs are so eloquent, her voice like velvet.

From the rock guitar strings of "No Ordinary Love" to the simple

piano and brass in "Cherish the Day" you will understand why Sade

named this recording "LOVE DELUXE" Because it is!!!!!!

Sade's wonderful singing, along with Mellow sounds & Sweeps makes this album special, different. It's a bit sparse, monotonic but this what makes you flow in its wonderful atmosphere. Warm and unforgettible melodies, great combinations of electronic and acoustic sounds, great production, great performances. I never heard lovesongs which sound so honest from the heart. This touches the listenner's heart. Sade makes me vibrate.

If I were banished to a desert island and I could only bring one CD this would be it. If you don't already have it order it today.