Two of my favourite Sade tracks ‘Is It a Crime’ and ‘Punch Drunk’ are from Promise. Despite the commercial success of the album, it still faced some harsh critical reviews which overlooked its intricacy and innovation. While it is easy to bask in the sheer excellence of Sade’s first album, it is important to draw attention to their sophomore album Promise. This album undoubtedly redefined and transported jazz-inspired music into the zeitgeist. Released in 1984, Diamond Life was a critical and commercial success winning Album of the Year at the Brit Awards in 1985 and generating hit singles including ‘Your Love is King’, ‘When Am I Going to Make a Living’ and ‘Smooth Operator’. I have to give credit where it is due and say that my mum has excellent taste in music. Among the likes of Eagles Desperado and The Police’s Ghost in the Machine, was Sade’s Diamond Life - apparently the soundtrack to my mum’s 20s! On her suggestion, I took the album for a spin and have been listening to it ever since. I then went through a dry spell and shamefully forgot all about them until I was helping my mum clear out the attic last spring and found heaps of records from the 70s and 80s. I first discovered Sade when a close friend recommended the undeniably catchy ‘Smooth Operator’ a couple of years ago. Combining soul, smooth jazz and sophisti-pop, Sade provide aurally exquisite sounds which enrich any listener’s day-to-day experience. The captivating Nigerian-born British singer and her eponymous band have provided many moments of peace, quiet and clarity during the uncertainty and turbulence of a third lockdown. During the past few months, I, like many, have been in search of musical solace: enter Sade.