Sade are an English band formed in London in 1982. Three of their members were originally from Kingston upon Hull in the East Riding of Yorkshire. Sade Adu is the lead singer of the eponymous band. Their music features elements of soul, quiet storm, smooth jazz, and sophisti-pop. Sade’s debut studio album Diamond Life was released in 1984 and was a hit internationally, reaching No. 1 in several countries and the Top Ten in the US where it has sold in excess of 4 million copies. In late 1985, Sade released their second studio album Promise, which peaked at No. 1 in both the UK and the US. In 1986 Sade won a Grammy Award for Best New Artist. Their 2000 fifth studio album, Lovers Rock, won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album. In 2011, the band won their fourth Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. Sade have sold more than 75 million records worldwide to date. (More from Wikipedia)
When thinking about Black Russian, I am reminded of a review of one of Sade’s albums in the Village Voice (maybe Promise) that I have been unable to find online. The reviewer noted that the album sounds like music that you have heard before, but you actually haven’t. I can imagine that one or two casual listens to Black Russian could lead to the opinions given above – particularly if one is predisposed to dissing anything that even hints of disco – but to these ears, this music represents brilliant songmaking that combines an appreciation of older R&B music with what was happening in the modern scene. It might be my imagination, but sonically, Black Russian seems louder than most of the other albums that I have been playing recently.
(April 2015/1)
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