02, London
Were it not for Kate Bush, Sade would have little competition for the title Most Reclusive Woman in Pop. Before last year's album, Soldier of Love, she hadn't released a record since 2000, and until this week hadn't performed in the UK in 18 years. The mystique enticed fans to part with up to �75 a ticket for her London show, the last of just three British dates, though the empty seats at the back suggest that her primary market these days is the US, where Soldier of Love was No 1 for three weeks.
Her selling points, illustrated throughout the set, are still elegance, understatement and an evident lack of interest in fame ? qualities at a premium in modern pop. The whole production is reminiscent of an 80s interiors magazine: the backing band wear black, the stage is lit in discreet amber and tasteful visuals show bare trees against artfully stormy skies. Centre-stage, Sade herself ? angular and incredibly youthful at 52 ? sings with a luxuriant lack of haste.
Her gauzy voice has acquired greater range, to the point that she receives a standing ovation for the sustained note that closes Is it a Crime?, but her stock in trade remains the dreamy delivery of pop-jazz songs about love and relationships, many of which reveal greater emotional depth than they were initially credited with. Or is it that she's simply grown into the songs, so that the heartbreak in the ballads King of Sorrow and Jezebel now seems mature and real?
The languid pace could do with being stepped up a bit: after 90 minutes of smoky languor punctuated by Stuart Matthewman's 80s brand of sax soloing, the upbeat Smooth Operator and Sweetest Taboo are oases. Nonetheless, it's a pleasure to see Sade again, however long she intends to stay this time.
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2011/jun/01/sad-live-review
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