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Soldier of Love
Studio album by Sade
Released 5 February 2010 (2010-02-05)
(see release history)
Recorded 2009
Real World Studios
(Box, Wiltshire, England)
El Cortijo
(Málaga, Málaga, Spain)
Genre R&B, sophisti-pop, quiet storm
Length 41:58
Label RCA, Epic (US)
Producer Sade
Sade chronology
Lovers Rock
(2000)		 Soldier of Love
(2010)
Singles from Soldier of Love
  1. "Soldier of Love"
    Released: 8 December 2009

Soldier of Love is the sixth studio album by the English group Sade. It is their first album of original material since Lovers Rock (2000). The album was released worldwide on 8 February 2010 and in the United States on 9 February 2010. The first single "Soldier of Love" premiered on 8 December 2009 on the group's official website.

The album debuted at number four on the UK Albums Chart, becoming their highest debut since Stronger Than Pride (1988). It also debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 502,000 copies in the United States, making it Sade's first U.S. number-one debut. Upon its release, Soldier of Love received generally positive reviews from most music critics.

Contents

Background

In March 2009, American neo soul singer Maxwell, a fellow Sony Music recording artist and longtime friend and collaborator with Stuart Matthewman, sent a message to fans in March via his private Facebook page in which he indicated that he had heard some of Sade's new recordings, saying, "Trust me, it's so monolithic it'll shake you in your shoes!"[1]

According to Billboard, the band had been working on the album throughout June 2009. At that time, Sony Music had not set a release date but it hoped to put the record out by the end of 2009. "She is in the studio and the album will come when it is ready", a source at Sony Music told Billboard. "You don't wait for years for one and then rush it."[1]

Reception

Commercial performance

 Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic 3/5 stars[2]
Entertainment Weekly (A)[3]
The Independent 2/5 stars[4]
Los Angeles Times 3.5/4 stars[5]
Pitchfork Media (7.0/10)[6]
PopMatters (8/10)[7]
Rolling Stone 3.5/5 stars[8]
Slant 3.5/5 stars[9]
USA Today 3.5/4 stars[10]
Village Voice (favorable)[11]

Soldier of Love made its first chart appearance on the Irish Albums Chart where it debuted at #12, as well as in the Italy and Poland where it topped the charts, becoming already platinum. On the week of February 14, 2010, the album debuted at #4 on the official UK Albums Chart, becoming the groups' highest chart debut in their home country, since the 1988's Stronger Than Pride. The album has had greater success in the United States than in their native country, where Soldier of Love became Sade's first number-one U.S. debut,[12] and its best sales week since SoundScan began tracking sales in 1991, selling 502,000 copies. Additionally, it's the best sales week for an album by a group since AC/DC's Black Ice made into the chart at number one on the chart dated November 2008, with 784,000 copies sold.[13] In the weeks since its February release, the album has sold 949,000+ copies in the United States and is close to being certified platinum.

Critical response

Upon its release, the album received generally positive reviews from most music critics, based on an aggregate score of 78/100 from Metacritic.[14] Chicago Tribune writer Greg Kot gave it 3 out of 4 stars and wrote favorably of Sade Adu's singing, stating "she remains alluring and subtly rewarding, while still keeping the listener at a safe distance, as if she had even deeper secrets to guard".[15] The Daily Telegraph's Tom Horan gave the album 5 out of 5 stars and wrote that its songs are "beautifully balanced between warmth and toughness, vulnerability and hauteur".[16] The Observer's Kitty Empire called it a "triumph for quality over quantity".[17] Jim DeRogatis of Chicago Sun-Times gave the album 3 out of 4 stars and wrote favorably of its "sophisticated and soulful grooves", stating "Sade may not be giving us anything radically new, but it's a pleasure just to have her back doing what she's always done so well".[18] BBC Online writer Paul Lester wrote that the album is "as mournfully one-paced as previous Sade albums, with the same attention to texture and surface lustre but, alas, not to melody or moving autobiography".[19] About.com's Mark Edward Nero gave the album 4½ out of 5 stars and perceived its tone as "darker" than Sade's previous work, while calling it "a fairly uplifting album that's filled with gorgeous melodies, sophisticated lyrics and themes, and of course, some of the most beautiful singing you'll ever hear".[20]

However, Allmusic's Andy Kellman gave it 3 out of 5 stars and viewed its lyrical themes as bleak, writing that "a fair portion of the album’s lyrical content comes off as drained-sounding, only echoed with vanilla arrangements that are merely functional".[2] Pete Paphides of The Times perceived a lack of "catchy tracks" as a weakness and called it "an album bordering upon ambient in its statuesque stillness".[21] The Guardian writer Caroline Sullivan expressed a mixed response to the group's "pop-soul" and "quiet storm" style on the album, but wrote that its "­lushness and understatement" is balanced by "lyrics of surprising transparency".[22] Despite calling its mood "morose" and expressing a mixed response towards its "bleakness and melancholy", All About Jazz critic Jeff Winbush viewed Soldier of Love as an improvement over Sade's previous album, Lovers Rock.[23] Stephen M. Duesner of Paste gave it an 82/100 rating and called it Sade's "most musically adventurous collection to date, and also its most expansive and rewarding".[24] The Washington Post's Chris Richards called the band's "cool alto sound nobler than ever" and described Soldier of Love as its "most spare and haunting album yet -- one where Sade's grief is harrowing, elegant and undeniably magnetic".[25]

Track listing

# Title Composer(s) Lyricist Length
1 "The Moon and the Sky" Sade Adu, Andrew Hale, Stuart Matthewman Adu 4:28
2 "Soldier of Love" Adu, Hale, Matthewman, Paul S. Denman 5:59
3 "Morning Bird" Adu, Hale, Matthewman 3:55
4 "Babyfather" Adu, Matthewman, Juan Janes, Andrew Nichols 4:40
5 "Long Hard Road" Adu, Janes, Nicholls 3:03
6 "Be That Easy" Adu, Matthewman 3:41
7 "Bring Me Home" Adu, Hale, Matthewman 4:09
8 "In Another Time" 5:06
9 "Skin" Adu, Hale, Matthewman, Denman 4:13
10 "The Safest Place" Adu, Hale 2:46

Personnel

Musicians

  • Sade
  • Tony Momrelle – vocals
  • Leroy Osbourne – vocals
  • Martin Ditcham – percussion, drums
  • Pete Lewinson - drums
  • Joseph Robinson – percussion & strings on "In Another Time"
  • Everton Nelson – violin
  • Ian Burdge – cello
  • Gordon Matthewman – trumpet
  • Noel Langley – trumpet
  • Ila Adu, Clay Matthewman – vocals on "Babyfather"
  • Juan Janes – guitar on "Long Hard Road"
  • Sophie Muller – ukulele

Production

  • Sade Adu – programming
  • Stuart Matthewman – programming
  • Andrew Hale – programming
  • Mike Pela – co-producer, engineer, mixing
  • Mark "Spike" Stent – mixing
  • Michael Brauer – mixing
  • Andrew Nicholls – pre-production
  • John Davis – mastering
  • Sophie Muller – photography, art direction
  • Tom Hingston Studio – design

Charts, certifications and procession

Charts

Chart (2010) Peak
position
Australian Albums Chart[26] 4
Austrian Albums Chart[26] 2
Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders)[26] 5
Belgian Albums Chart (Wallonia)[26] 1
Brazil Top 20 CD Sales[27] 11
Canadian Albums Chart[28] 1
Czech Albums Chart[29] 1
Danish Albums Chart[26] 4
Dutch Albums Chart[26] 2
European Top 100 Albums[28] 1
Finnish Albums Chart[26] 9
French Albums Chart[26] 1
German Albums Chart[30] 2
Greek Albums Chart[31] 1
Hungarian Albums Chart[32] 1
Irish Albums Chart[33] 12
Italian Albums Chart[26] 1
Japanase Albums Chart 13
Korean Albums Chart[34] 15
Mexican Albums Chart[26] 41
New Zealand Albums Chart[26] 3
Norwegian Albums Chart[26] 7
Polish Albums Chart[35] 1
Portuguese Albums Chart[26] 1
Russian albums chart[36] 3
South African Albums Chart[37] 8
Spanish Albums Chart[26] 1
Swedish Albums Chart[26] 1
Swiss Albums Chart[26] 1
UK Albums Chart[38] 4
U.S. Billboard 200[28] 1
U.S. Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums[28] 1

Certifications

Country Provider Certification
(sales thresholds)		 Sales
France SNEP 82,951[39][40][41][42][43]
Greece IFPI Greece Gold [44] [45] 3,000
Hungary MAHASZ Gold[46] 3,000
Poland OLIS 3x Platinum[47] 60,000
Russia NFPF Gold[48] 10,000
Sweden IFPI Gold[49] 20,000
United States RIAA Platinum 949,000+ [50]

Chart procession and succession

Preceded by
Tracks 2 (inediti & rarità) by Vasco Rossi		 Italian Albums Chart number-one album
5 February 2010 – 12 February 2010		 Succeeded by
Re matto by Marco Mengoni
Preceded by
The E.N.D. by Black Eyed Peas		 French Albums Chart number-one album
14 February 2010 – 7 March 2010		 Succeeded by
La crise de nerfs ! by Les Enfoirés
Preceded by
X Anniversarivm by Estopa		 Spanish Albums Chart number-one album
14 February 2010		 Succeeded by
Las consecuencias by Bunbury
Preceded by
A királyok hegedűse by Mága Zoltán		 Hungarian Albums Chart number-one album
14 February 2010 –		 Succeeded by
Incumbent
Preceded by
Magia del Tango by Marcin Wyrostek		 Polish Albums Chart number-one album
15 February 2010 – 1 March 2010		 Succeeded by
Dodekafonia by Strachy na Lachy
Preceded by
The E.N.D. by Black Eyed Peas		 Portuguese Albums Chart number-one album
18 February 2010		 Succeeded by
Luar by Rita Guerra
Preceded by
Rock'n Roll Dance Party by The Playtones		 Swedish Albums Chart number-one album
19 February 2010		 Succeeded by
Rock'n Roll Dance Party by The Playtones
Preceded by
Mozart l'Opéra Rock by musical theatre		 Belgian Albums Chart (Wallonia) number-one album (first run)
20 February 2010		 Succeeded by
Scratch My Back by Peter Gabriel
Preceded by
The Fame by Lady Gaga		 Swiss Albums Chart number-one album
21 February 2010		 Succeeded by
Small Lights in the Dark by Lunik
Preceded by
Grammy Nominees 2010 by various artists		 Canadian Albums Chart number-one album
27 February 2010 – 13 March 2010		 Succeeded by
Need You Now by Lady Antebellum
Preceded by
Need You Now by Lady Antebellum		 U.S. Billboard 200 number-one album
27 February 2010 – 13 March 2010		 Succeeded by
Need You Now by Lady Antebellum
Preceded by
Rebirth by Lil Wayne		 U.S. Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums number-one album
27 February 2010 –		 Succeeded by
Incumbent
Preceded by
The Fame by Lady GaGa		 European Top 100 Albums number-one album
27 February 2010 –		 Succeeded by
Incumbent
Preceded by
Scratch My Back by Peter Gabriel		 Belgian Albums Chart (Wallonia) number-one album (second run)
6 March 2010 -		 Succeeded by
Incumbent

Release history

Country Date Label Format
Germany 5 February 2010 (2010-02-05)[51] Sony Music CD, digital download
United Kingdom 8 February 2010 (2010-02-08)[52] RCA Label Group
Worldwide Sony Music
United States 9 February 2010 (2010-02-09)[52] Epic Records
Canada Sony Music
Taiwan 10 February 2010 (2010-02-10)[53]

References

  1. ^ a b Herrera, Monica; Prince, David J. (1 June 2009). "Exclusive: New Sade On The Way, 2009 Release Possible". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc.. http://www.billboard.com/news/exclusive-new-sade-on-the-way-2009-release-1003978338.story. Retrieved 13 February 2010. 
  2. ^ a b Kellman, Andy. Review: Soldier of Love. Allmusic. Retrieved on 2010-02-20.
  3. ^ Wood, Mikael. Review: Soldier of Love. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved on 2010-02-20.
  4. ^ Gill, Andy. Review: Soldier of Love. The Independent. Retrieved on 2010-02-20.
  5. ^ Powers, Ann. Review: Soldier of Love. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved on 2010-02-20.
  6. ^ Harvell, Jess. Review: Soldier of Love. Pitchfork Media. Retrieved on 2010-02-20.
  7. ^ Wikane, Christian John. Review: Soldier of Love. PopMatters. Retrieved on 2010-02-20.
  8. ^ Sheffield, Rob. Review: Soldier of Love. Rolling Stone. Retrieved on 2010-02-20.
  9. ^ Cinquemani, Sal. Review: Soldier of Love. Slant Magazine. Retrieved on 2010-02-20.
  10. ^ Gardner, Elysa. Review: Soldier of Love. USA Today. Retrieved on 2010-02-20.
  11. ^ Hinshaw, Drew. Review: Soldier of Love. The Village Voice. Retrieved on 2010-02-20.
  12. ^ "Sade registers first No. 1 debut on Billboard 200 as Soldier of Love marches over competition - HitFix.com". Hitfix.com. http://www.hitfix.com/blogs/2008-12-6-the-beat-goes-on/posts/sade-registers-first-no-1-debut-as-soldier-of-love-marches-over-competition. Retrieved 17 February 2010. 
  13. ^ Caulfield, Keith (17 February 2010). "Sade's 'Soldier' Sizzles At No. 1 On Billboard 200". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc.. http://www.billboard.com/#/news/sade-s-soldier-sizzles-at-no-1-on-billboard-1004068437.story. Retrieved 17 February 2010. 
  14. ^ Soldier of Love (2010): Reviews. Metacritic. Retrieved on 2010-02-20.
  15. ^ Kot, Greg. Review: Soldier of Love. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved on 2010-02-20.
  16. ^ Horan, Tom. Review: Soldier of Love. The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved on 2010-02-20.
  17. ^ Empire, Kitty. Review: Soldier of Love. The Observer. Retrieved on 2010-02-20.
  18. ^ DeRogatis, Jim. Review: Soldier of Love. Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved on 2010-02-28.
  19. ^ Lester, Paul. Review: Soldier of Love. BBC Online. Retrieved on 2010-02-20.
  20. ^ Nero, Mark Edward. Review: Soldier of Love. About.com. Retrieved on 2010-02-28.
  21. ^ Paphides, Pete. Review: Soldier of Love. The Times. Retrieved on 2010-02-20.
  22. ^ Sullivan, Caroline. Review: Soldier of Love. The Guardian. Retrieved on 2010-02-20.
  23. ^ Winbush, Jeff. Review: Soldier of Love. All About Jazz. Retrieved on 2010-02-28.
  24. ^ Deusner, Stephen M. Review: Soldier of Love. Paste. Retrieved on 2010-02-28.
  25. ^ Richards, Chris. Review: Soldier of Love. The Washington Post. Retrieved on 2010-02-28.
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  27. ^ . http://www.abpd.org.br/noticias_internas.asp?noticia=207. Retrieved 2010-07-03. 
  28. ^ a b c d "Sade Album & Song Chart History – Billboard 200". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc.. http://www.billboard.com/#/artist/sade/chart-history/5590?f=305&g=Albums&sort=date. Retrieved 26 February 2010. 
  29. ^ "TOP50 Prodejní – Sade – Soldier Of Love" (in Czech). International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. http://www.ifpicr.cz/hitparada/index.php?a=titul&hitparada=14&titul=147746&sec=677e0995700581e576d0867366c1c2c0. Retrieved 23 February 2010. 
  30. ^ "Musicline.de – Sade – Soldir Of Love" (in German). Musicline.de. http://musicline.de/de/chartverfolgung_summary/title/SADE/Soldier+Of+Love/longplay. Retrieved 26 February 2010. 
  31. ^ "Top 50 Ξένων Aλμπουμ". IFPI Greece. http://www.ifpi.gr/chart01.htm. Retrieved 2010-01-25. 
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  34. ^ http://www.gaonchart.co.kr/
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  36. ^ "Россия Top 25 >> 07-2010". 2m-online.ru. http://2m-online.ru/news/detail.php?ID=5556. 
  37. ^ "South African Albums Chart - 06/03/2010". SA Albums Chart Histort Site. http://sacharthistory.forumb.biz/chart-archive-f1/south-african-albums-chart-06-03-2010-t2.htm#2. Retrieved 2010-03-06. 
  38. ^ "Chart Stats – Sade – Soldier Of Love". Chart Stats. http://www.chartstats.com/albuminfo.php?id=14635. Retrieved 26 February 2010. 
  39. ^ Cadet, Thierry (16 February 2010). "Tops : Sade décroche son premier n°1 en France depuis 18 ans !" (in French). Charts in France. http://www.chartsinfrance.net/Sade/news-69482.html. Retrieved 16 February 2010. 
  40. ^ Decant, Charles (24 February 2010). "Disques : deuxième top 10 pour Quentin Mosimann" (in French). Ozap. http://www.ozap.com/actu/ventes-disques-quentin-mosimann-sade-xx-haiti/326870. Retrieved 24 February 2010. 
  41. ^ "Disques : Sade plus forte que Jacques Higelin" (in French). Ozap. http://www.ozap.com/actu/ventes-disques-sade-higelin-tete-kesha-stromae/328342. Retrieved 2010-03-04. 
  42. ^ "Disques : Michael Jackson de retour dans le top 3" (in French). Ozap. http://www.ozap.com/actu/ventes-disques-france-this-it-sade-stromae-pirate/329322. Retrieved 2010-03-11. 
  43. ^ "Disques : les Enfoirés cartonnent, mais moins qu'en 2009" (in French). Ozap. http://www.ozap.com/actu/ventes-disque-france-enfoires-dvd-stromae-gorillaz/330950. Retrieved 2010-03-18. 
  44. ^ http://www.sonymusic.gr/page/competitions/competitions_index.asp
  45. ^ http://www.ifpi.gr/chart01.htm
  46. ^ http://www.mahasz.hu/?menu=slagerlistak&menu2=top_40_album_es_valogataslemez_lista
  47. ^ "Platinum certfication awards" (in Polish). ZPAV.pl. http://zpav.pl/plyty.asp?page=platynowe&lang=en. Retrieved 2010-03-03. 
  48. ^ http://2m-online.ru/gold_n_platinum/detail.php?COUNTRY=5569
  49. ^ "Sverigetopplistan – Veckolista Album – Vecka 7, 19 februari 2010" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. http://www.sverigetopplistan.se/. Retrieved 26 February 2010. 
  50. ^ http://www.hitsdailydouble.com/news/newsPage.cgi?news07970
  51. ^ "Soldier Of Love: Sade: Amazon.de: Musik". Amazon.de. http://www.amazon.de/dp/B002YIGI52. Retrieved 13 February 2010. 
  52. ^ a b "Soldier Of Love – Out Now.". Sade.com. 8 February 2010. http://www.sade.com/gb/news/2010-02-08/soldier_of_love_out_now/. Retrieved 13 February 2010. 
  53. ^ "睽違樂壇十年，絕代女伶率領葛萊美經典樂團再現情愛樂章". Sony Music Taiwan. http://www.sonymusic.com.tw/album_info.php?al_prodno=88697638812. Retrieved 19 March 2010. 

External links

Sade
Sade Adu · Stuart Matthewman · Paul Spencer Denman · Andrew Hale · Paul Anthony Cook
Albums
Singles
"Your Love Is King" · "When Am I Going to Make a Living" · "Hang on to Your Love" · "Smooth Operator" · "The Sweetest Taboo" · "Never as Good as the First Time" · "Is It a Crime" · "Love Is Stronger Than Pride" · "Paradise" · "Nothing Can Come Between Us" · "Turn My Back on You" · "No Ordinary Love" · "Feel No Pain" · "Kiss of Life" · "Cherish the Day" · "By Your Side" · "King of Sorrow" · "Lovers Rock" · "Somebody Already Broke My Heart" (Live) · "Soldier of Love"
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