(Epic)
Herald rating: * * *
Review: Russell Baillie
Here's another sign the 80s are this month's parallel music universe. Already, U2 are back on the radio, Madonna is in the charts and wasn't there a recent report about a Kiwi jet fighter pilot ejecting after he ran into A Flock of Sea-gulls? Like, who wouldn't?
Now, after eight years comes the return of the Sigh of the Times herself, Sade.
It certainly sounds like a Sade album, except for a touch of looped drums, fashionably retro keyboards and a few reggae touches to justify the title (though that reference also makes a rather nice lyrical metaphor in the elegant title track).
So it maintains a languidly melancholy mood with just a few stand-out songs. Among them are King of Sorrow (Sting-ish in title and execution); The Sweetest Gift (not a direct descendant of The Sweetest Taboo but sounding like an Everything But the Girl acoustic ballad), and Immigrant (torch-reggae with extra strings).
Not that interesting songwriting was ever the point to Sade. It was keeping the smooth operation going throughout and Lovers Rock sure does that. Nice. Now, wine cooler anyone?
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