The heart and character of Sade to bloom in Tallinn

  • 2011-10-26
  • By Sam Logger

SOULFUL SOUNDS: Sade and her story telling through music will sooth the Tallinn audience.

TALLINN - Once in a lifetime we get a chance to meet people who like to see the world from different boundaries than ourselves. One such person is Sade, British singer, songwriter and producer, who comes to Tallinn to perform her newest program and give an exclusive concert at Saku Suurhall, on Nov.2.

Helen Folasade Adu, who is better known as Sade, has Nigerian and English roots. Born in 1959 in Ibadan, Nigeria, she moved to England with her mother and elder brother Banji, after the marriage of her father and mother failed. While Sade enjoyed American soul music, she did not think about a career in this field. Instead, she studied fashion at St. Martin’s School of Arts, helping with backing vocals in the band “Pride.” Sade toured around the UK with the band, until the soulful piece “Smooth Operator” drew the attention of the major record companies, which chose her over the rest of “Pride.” Finally, she accepted a deal with Epic records bringing in three other “mates” of “Pride” – bassist Paul Denman, saxophonist Stuart Matthewman and keyboard player Andrew Hale – together with her. In that way the unique crew of Sade was formed.

“Your Love Is King,” the very first single from Sade, provided a huge success for the band and its front woman, reaching the top 10 of the UK charts in 1984 and initiating a long-term musical career, alongside with media coverage about her life both on and off stage. The sound turned into Sade’s trademark, and seemingly it still lives today. In 25 years of singing it has been embodied in nine studio albums, one of which is a live performance of the 2001 Lovers Live Tour. Every record which Sade has released has been highly appraised by the audience, no matter if it was the debut album “Diamond Life,” or “Soldier of Love,” which saw daylight 26 years later and which also ensured her a Grammy Award. The most recent “The Ultimate Collection” yet again represents Sade’s captivating career in melodic colors – next to the well-known tunes, a bit of a modern approach appears in the form of “The Moon and the Sky” remix, collaborating with Jay Z, one of the most successful rappers of all time.

What is amazing with Sade’s music is the understanding that sometimes we are able to calm down from the rush we see around us. Sade gives us the opportunity to enjoy both magic and the reality of music. The artist depends on the capability to tell a story through this art. It is all about involvement in music. “I only make records when I have something to say,” claims Sade, proving that numbers are not what really matters. And this is what definitely makes Sade a great singer, composer and producer. Her songs are full of strange energy which drags you into the notes and lyrics without any effort, rather one in which you realize the true meaning of music – to portray a story, which is constructed with the help of sounds.

There is no feeling of the production wonders which surround the music business today, and in this case, the main emphasis is on the voice of Sade, which can be quite simple, but addictive at the same time. The more you listen, the more you take what you hear as the top level of the musical hierarchy. We can say that Sade’s audience is people at a mature age; however, there is a strong possibility that other groups of musical audiences are familiar with the top tracks of Sade without knowing it, and “Smooth Operator” is probably the best example.

It needs to be added that Sade’s concert in Tallinn will be the only one in the Baltics, so it is definitely a rare chance to see this elegant singer. Why is Sade so special? She is soulful, intelligent, beautiful and extraordinary! A woman who knows what matters the most! A woman with a story...

Ticket information can be found at: www.ticketpro.ee or www.bilesuserviss.lv.