Soldier Of Love
by Sade
  • Record Label: Sony
  • Release Date: Feb 9, 2010
Metascore
79

Generally favorable reviews - based on 19 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 19
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 19
  3. Negative: 0 out of 19
  1. Entertainment Weekly
    100
    On songs like the space-folky ''Long Hard Road'' and the reggae-scented ''Babyfather,'' Sade exhales peerlessly while the boys behind her fluff one heck of a sonic pillow. Weary bones, rest here.
  2. The A.V. Club
    91
    Soldier benefits from a divine sense of intimacy; Sade seems to be whispering secret thoughts directly into the listener’s ears.
  3. Los Angeles Times
    88
    "Soldier of Love" is unique in its confrontational tone, but it connects to the other best tracks on this album, which employ minimalism and the rules of cool to carefully reconstruct various musical styles.
  5. Billboard.com
    82
    The release is Sade's first new material in 10 years, but the act hasn't lost a beat.
  6. Paste Magazine
    82
    They’ve plied a unique blend of jazz, world, pop and soul for more than a quarter-century, and now they add heavier beats, craftier production and a wider arsenal of sounds and styles.
  7. BBC Music
    80
    There is gospel organ (Be That Easy) and a mid-tempo reggae-ish gait on Babyfather, but mostly Soldier of Love is as mournfully one-paced as previous Sade albums, with the same attention to texture and surface lustre but, alas, not to melody or moving autobiography.
  8. NOW Magazine
    80
    Sure, the production on Soldier Of Love sounds a bit tougher and chunkier than the band’s early work, but the classic Sade vibe we love is still front and centre.
  9. PopMatters
    80
    The qualities that millions of devoted fans enjoy about Sade are placed in new contexts on Soldier of Love.
  10. musicOMH.com
    80
    These are songs that can sashay straight past you if you're not careful, but producer Stuart Matthewman (whose work with Maxwell sounds equally poured over) slips in subtle moments such as the twinkling percussion on Morning Bird and the slow-burn backing on opener The Moon And The Sky.
  11. Q Magazine
    80
    Elegantly downbeat, Soldier Of Love sparkles as a whole rather than as a collection of parts. [Mar 2010, p.107]
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  12. Mojo
    80
    Sade has, as ever, fashioned an album that sounds both classic and current. [Mar 2010, p.91]
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  13. Chicago Tribune
    75
    But mostly “Soldier of Love” presents Sade as a genre unto herself; after 25 years, she remains alluring and subtly rewarding, while still keeping the listener at a safe distance, as if she had even deeper secrets to guard.
  14. Boston Globe
    70
    Like its predecessors, it mimics the rhythms of a new relationship - it’s up one minute and down the next, loving in places and wounded in others - and it’s a rich and rewarding album, but only after multiple listens.
  15. Rolling Stone
    70
    Soldier is sumptuously melancholy, exquisitely beautiful R&B, perfect for crying on a very expensive sofa.
  16. Slant Magazine
    70
    Apart from the futuristic sound of the title track and a mini-tribute to Michael Jackson on "Skin," Soldier possesses the same timeless quality as any of the band's previous albums.
  17. Pitchfork
    70
    Soldier of Love offers listeners a rather narrow range of interest-- songs that (at their best) suggest strong feeling restrained by a fierce dignity-- but Sade remain the best at what they do.

User Reviews

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User Score
8.1

Universal acclaim- based on 53 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 44 out of 53
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 53
  3. Negative: 4 out of 53
  1. Felipecritic
    Dec 4, 2017
    8
    Incrível ver na década de 2010 uma banda dos anos 80 voltar com tanta força assim como Sade. Eles voltaram mantendo o sucesso comercial doIncrível ver na década de 2010 uma banda dos anos 80 voltar com tanta força assim como Sade. Eles voltaram mantendo o sucesso comercial do passado e o mais importante: sem mudar seu estilo para uma pegada mais mainstream.… Full Review »
  2. Deee1
    Nov 7, 2011
    10
    Still the soul diva we got to know in the 80's. Her voice is strong and her lyrics certainly tugs at one's heart strings like in the past.Still the soul diva we got to know in the 80's. Her voice is strong and her lyrics certainly tugs at one's heart strings like in the past. Excellent piece of art.… Full Review »
  3. Ravenous
    Nov 21, 2010
    5
    While their first few albums were certainly good, and their next two were undoubtedly great, this last one simply falls short. It justWhile their first few albums were certainly good, and their next two were undoubtedly great, this last one simply falls short. It just rehashes what they did with Lovers Rock. I guess they've finally run out of ideas.… Full Review »
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