Ok, I’ll start with a full disclosure: For years, I have been a complete sucker for anything Sade. Silky, smooth voice served over cool, timeless R&B beats – how can anyone say no to that? Well, the things seem to be, unfortunately, changing.

When I heard that the new album is coming out in February 2010, and that the first single, “Soldier Of Love” is just being pushed into media, I was really, really hoping to be blown away yet again.

So, I jump over to Sade’s MySpace page, click the “play” and the track starts…The legendary voice is still there, as good as ever. But the production ?! Rhythm machine, sampled metal guitar, choir with a kind of hip-hop flow to it, but not really. A definitely darker and more introvert that the Sade we all know.  OK, so I decided to play it again, hoping it would catch on me, but no, not this time… There’s still hope that the other nine tracks (check the track list here) will bring songs with that Sade’s signature vibe. Stay tuned. In meantime, I’ll be keeping Sade’s old albums in my MP3 player.