Sound the horn. Round up the troops — we're going into a battle of love, with Sade at the helm.
She tackles the subject from all sides, as a constant struggle — from acquiring it, to making it work and even losing it — suggesting that falling out of love is also an integral part of loving, as the experience prepares you for following love matches.
One could say it's about time Sade came out with another album, especially given the deluge of insubstantial music and nonsensical lyrics that make up the musical spectrum.
Sade takes her time — in writing, in recording, in delivering her lines in performances steeped with emotion. But 10 years is a long time. Which begs the question — will audiences take to Soldier of Love, the band's sixth studio album, the way they embraced tracks like Smooth Operator, The Sweetest Taboo, By Your Side and King of Sorrow?
Sade's lyricism and expression haven't diminished, with songs reading like poetry, paired with compositions that complement and instruments that support her deep voice. She's kept her pace, which suits her music best.
The Moon and the Sky's "You'll always know the reason why/ The song you heard/ Will stay on your mind/ It ain't gonna let you go, no/ Cos you were the moon/ And I the endless sky" give way to the title track's "I know that love will come/ Turn it all around" and the haunting refrain "It couldn't be that easy/ It had to be much harder" (Be That Easy). But one of the highlights is the love song to a child, Babyfather, on which her daughter pipes up reggae-like "Your daddy love comes with a lifetime guarantee".
While the soulful album deals with the trials and tribulations of relationships, it ends on a highlight with Safest Place: "Your love's in a sacred place/ The safest hiding place/ My heart has been a lonely warrior before/ Who's been to war/ So you can be sure."
With its universal themes, Soldier of Love will share that place in many a listener's heart.
