Sade

Epic

Sade, the queen of icy soul, returns with her first new album in eight long years. If you were expecting something out of character like, say, hip-hop or metallic noise, you’ll be disappointed. However, if Sade’s stunning 1984 debut Diamond Life is more to your liking, you’ll love this. The album’s first single, “By Your Side,” is reminiscent of the elegiac rock classic “A Whiter Shade of Pale,” albeit the Annie Lennox version and not the Procul Harum original. On “King of Sorrow,” the Nigerian singer cries universal tears, not unlike Sting did on his “King of Pain.” A couple of the songs glide along on a supple reggae beat; it’s a feel that meshes well with Sade’s smooth-shifting music. This, like other Sade albums, is full of great make-out music, if nothing else. Let’s hope that she doesn’t take another eight years to come up with her next heartbreaking love-fest of a record.