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Sade: De Sade
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Sade Adu is one of the distinctive voices in pop music. She has developed her unique, inimitable style which sets her apart from the average pop singer. Sade was born in Ibadan, Nigeria, in 1959. She is the daughter of a Nigerian economics professor and an English nurse. After her parents' divorce, she grew up in Colchester, Essex, England, where she moved with her mother when she was four. At the age of seventeen, she began to studyfashion at St. Martin's School of Art.
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Born Donatien-Alphonse-François de Sade in Paris, the Marquis was the only surviving child of provincial noble parents. His father, Jean-Baptiste, was a diplomat and notorious bisexual playboy, and his mother, Marie-Eleonore, was a cold and distant woman who left her son to live in a convent soon after he was born. At the age of five, de Sade was packed off to his uncle, the Abbé de Sade, in Avignon. This would have a profound effect on the young Marquis.
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Having spent most of the mid-'90s taking a break from the music industry to start a family and recharge her creative batteries, Sade returned in 2000 with the stellar Lovers Rock. This live document, recorded before an adoring public on her American tour, shows Sade bridging the gap between the Quiet Storm sophistication of her earlier work and the edgier, groove-driven efforts of her younger competition. Backed by longtime collaborators Stuart Matthewman, Andrew Hale, and Paul Spencer Denman (a.k.a. Sweetback), along with a handful of extra musicians, the Nigerian-born, U. K.-bred chanteuse handily communicates the hushed intimacy of her albums to a big and boisterous audience who make their adulation known at every sax solo and (one imagines) hip swivel. Recent fare such as the roots-rock-flavors of the atmospheric "Slave Song" (with its dubby excerpt from the Abyssinians reggae classic "African Race") and the hip-hop-flavored nuance of "Flow" mix effortlessly with the jazzy cool of "Smooth Operator" and the infectious, funky vibe of "The Sweetest Taboo." The impeccable musicianship of Sade's band gives muscular new life to the hypnotic opener, "Cherish the Day," an aggressive "Paradise" (packed with rock-like guitar riffs and popping percussion), and the ambient eroticism of "No Ordinary Love."
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W[H]en Sade first came on the recording scene in the '80s, her record company, Epic, made a point of printing "pronounced shar-day" after her name on the record labels of her releases. Soon enough the world would have no problem in correctly pronouncing her name. Born Helen Folasade Adu in a village 50 miles from Lagos, the capitol of Nigeria, she was the daughter of an African father and an English mother. After her mother returned to England, Sade grew up on the North End of London. Developing a good singing voice in her teens, Sade worked part-time jobs in and outside of the music business. She listened to Ray Charles, Nina Simone, Al Green, Aretha Franklin, and Billie Holliday.
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Sade ("sha-day") was born with the name Helen in Nigeria to a British mother and Nigerian father. The name "Helen" being alien to Nigerian ears, they called her "Sade", a variant of her middle name. Her parents divorced when she was an infant, her mother raising her in Britain. Sade worked as a model and fashion designer for several years, and was involved in designing outfits that Spandau Ballet wore on their first American tour. But her heart was in music, and at age 21 Sade joined Arriva, a Latin-influenced funk group, and co-wrote "Smooth Operator" with the band's guitarist, Ray St. John. Without a recording contract, though, the tune was heard only in nightclubs where Arriva performed.
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Sade (Helen Folasade Adu) was born in Nigeria on January 16, 1959, and was raised in London. Although Sade originally began studying fashion design, her desire for music led her to a jazz-funk group named Pride. Sade, the woman, and Sade, the band, became staples on the pop and R&B charts from the mid-80's and into the 90s. By selling millions of LPs around the world, Sade brought a level of class and a smooth jazz sound the ears of pop radio, always maintaining a high level of quality. The longevity of Sade's music best represents the uniqueness of its sound.
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