Posted on 01/30/2010 11:05:54 PM PST by pissant
Sade is so very private, so extremely wary of the press that her friends - all of whom are bound to silence - have nicknamed her Howie, after Howard Hughes. The most reclusive British singer of the 1980s has kept such a low profile since her Smooth Operator days - one tour in 14 years - that, when we meet at the London office of her record label to hear the songs from her new album, Soldier of Love, I am the only person in the room who has met her before.
It’s 10 years since her last album release, the 2000 offering, Lovers Rock. Despite or maybe because of that, the reverence she commands is palpable. She is the most successful solo female artist Britain has ever produced: she has sold more than 50m albums in a career that stretches back 27 years. And more than half of those albums were sold from the mid-1990s onwards, when Sade all but disappeared from view. Since then, she has only surfaced a few times — and this is the only face-to-face interview she will consent to now.
Paradoxically, in person she is open, friendly and relaxed - she’s happy to let me into her spacious Georgian house in leafy north London - and willing to laugh at herself. Unlike her songs, which are often freighted with introspective sadness and regret, her conversation is punctuated with a lively and very English self-mockery. She tells me about a graffitied poster of herself that her guitarist Stuart Matthewman spotted in New York. Above her glamorous image, some wag had sprayed the observation: “This bitch sings when she wants to.” Sade thinks this hilarious. It sums up her career pretty well. She makes music on her own terms.
(Excerpt) Read more at entertainment.timesonline.co.uk ...
Thought she was ugly then, think she is ugly now.
Yes, now I remember that song and I also remember her. But that must have been at least 20 years ago. That’s probably why I couldn’t remember her- because it’s been so long.
... and Sade was DROP DEAD GORGEOUS. Absolutely stunning, a lovely face and figure, with that ultra-cool unflappable confident totally poised vocal delivery -- really, a specimen of human feminity too perfect to be real! I remember getting the impression that Carson was a little bit blown away by her, maybe even a little speechless, and it would have to take quite a woman to do that to Carson.
Later I saw a music video of Sade riding horseback as part of the song, and her absolute gorgeousneous, all the way down to one of the most lovely figures imaginable, again made me shake my head in awed admiration. That her fame and beauty have not gone to her head or ego are clear -- there is a lot more than her physical beauty and musical talent to admire there. Sometimes I think God puts such people among us to remind us how barren is the indulgence of envy and how generous He can be in His blessings, not just to Sade, but to those of us who get to enjoy her like a great piece of art.
She is now 51.
Mildly interesting?
She is my favorite by far. Musical perfection.
[Seriously I’m kind of an info junkie but have never heard of this woman. What type of music is she involved with? ]
Very sophisticated jazz, if you know what you are listening to.
You reminded me of an old favorite. There were some truly great voices in the ‘80s, including (yeah, really) Culture Club’s Boy George and this guy, Simply Red. When it comes to watching YouTube performance videos I am decidedly partial to the original videos I watched on MTV in the early to mid ‘80s when MTV was still, well... MTV.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbQl14tJIWM
Could just be sentimentality, but IMO there really did seem to be more of an emphasis on storytelling and art in the early vids. More like mini movies. Some of it stands up pretty well.
Cannot bash on Boy George - proclivities aside he had a great voice. Geo. Michael as well. Cyndi Lauper. Pat Benetar. Good stuff.
Have no idea why I’m still up.
One more nice little ditty from that era, and I’m off to bed.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBruAooXPNU
FRegards
Mildly interesting? Someone has some growing up to do.
Her music is for adults. Some people’s understanding of music (and other art)stays stuck in tenth grade.
Beauty has always been subjective, however I believe she is a superb artist.
Sorry, if it ain’t Hard Country (George Jones, etc.) or Bluegrass (Del McCoury Band, etc.), I ain’t interested. The only other music I’ll listen to is Classic Rock (ZZTopp, Lynyrd Skynyrd, etc)
This article is really well written and allows you to see the real nature of Sade, which impresses to no end........quality over quantity.
"What wasn’t good in the early days was being branded cheerleaders for aspirational Thatcherite values. "
Mick Hucknall’s ( Simply Red ) voice was briefly heard on a couple of “Family Guy” episodes.
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