Sade - Promise Allmusic review Sade's second album improved on the performa… Read Full Bio ↴Sade - Promise
Allmusic review
Sade's second album improved on the performance of her debut, as Sweetest Taboo was a huge hit and Never as Good as the First Time landed in both the rhythm and blues and pop Top 20. She was once again the personification of cool, laid-back singing, seldom extending or embellishing lyrics, registering emotion, or projecting her voice. This demeanor made her more desirable in the minds of many fans and was perhaps the ultimate misapplication of the notion of sophistication. But this album topped the pop charts and eventually went triple platinum.
Track listing
1 Is It a Crime (Adu, Hale, Matthewman) - 6:22
2 The Sweetest Taboo (Adu, Ditcham, Matthewman, Sade) - 4:38
3 War of the Hearts (Adu, Matthewman) - 6:49
4 You're Not the Man ( Adu, Matthewman) - 5:11
5 Jezebel (Adu, Matthewman) - 5:31
6 Mr. Wrong (Adu, Denman, Hale, Matthewman) - 2:53
7 Punch Drunk (Hale) - 5:27
8 Never as Good as the First Time (Adu, Matthewman) - 5:01
9 Fear (Adu, Matthewman) - 4:11
10 Tar Baby (Adu, Matthewman) - 4:20
11 Maureen (Adu, Denman, Hale) - 4:21
Credits
Sade Adu - Arranger, Vocals, Producer
Terry Bailey - Trombone, Trumpet
Lee Barrett - Management
Pete Beachill - Trombone
Carlos Bonnell - Guitar
Tom Coyne - Remastering
Paul S. Denman - Bass, Guitar (Bass)
Martin Ditcham - Percussion
Dave Early - Percussion, Drums
Andrew Hale - Keyboards
Nick Ingman - Arranger
Jake Jacas - Vocals
Stuart Matthewman - Guitar, Saxophone
Robin Millar - Producer
Rogan Millar - Producer
Robin Miller - Producer
Pela - Producer
Mike Pela - Strings, Producer, Engineer, Mixing, Production Engineer
Ben Rogan - Producer
Sade - Arranger, Producer
Graham Smith - Design
Toshi Yajima - Photography
Chart & Awards
1985 - Promise - R&B Albums No. 1
1985 - Promise - The Billboard 200 No. 1
1986 - Promise - Top Jazz Albums No. 4
Allmusic review
Sade's second album improved on the performance of her debut, as Sweetest Taboo was a huge hit and Never as Good as the First Time landed in both the rhythm and blues and pop Top 20. She was once again the personification of cool, laid-back singing, seldom extending or embellishing lyrics, registering emotion, or projecting her voice. This demeanor made her more desirable in the minds of many fans and was perhaps the ultimate misapplication of the notion of sophistication. But this album topped the pop charts and eventually went triple platinum.
Track listing
1 Is It a Crime (Adu, Hale, Matthewman) - 6:22
2 The Sweetest Taboo (Adu, Ditcham, Matthewman, Sade) - 4:38
3 War of the Hearts (Adu, Matthewman) - 6:49
4 You're Not the Man ( Adu, Matthewman) - 5:11
5 Jezebel (Adu, Matthewman) - 5:31
6 Mr. Wrong (Adu, Denman, Hale, Matthewman) - 2:53
7 Punch Drunk (Hale) - 5:27
8 Never as Good as the First Time (Adu, Matthewman) - 5:01
9 Fear (Adu, Matthewman) - 4:11
10 Tar Baby (Adu, Matthewman) - 4:20
11 Maureen (Adu, Denman, Hale) - 4:21
Credits
Sade Adu - Arranger, Vocals, Producer
Terry Bailey - Trombone, Trumpet
Lee Barrett - Management
Pete Beachill - Trombone
Carlos Bonnell - Guitar
Tom Coyne - Remastering
Paul S. Denman - Bass, Guitar (Bass)
Martin Ditcham - Percussion
Dave Early - Percussion, Drums
Andrew Hale - Keyboards
Nick Ingman - Arranger
Jake Jacas - Vocals
Stuart Matthewman - Guitar, Saxophone
Robin Millar - Producer
Rogan Millar - Producer
Robin Miller - Producer
Pela - Producer
Mike Pela - Strings, Producer, Engineer, Mixing, Production Engineer
Ben Rogan - Producer
Sade - Arranger, Producer
Graham Smith - Design
Toshi Yajima - Photography
Chart & Awards
1985 - Promise - R&B Albums No. 1
1985 - Promise - The Billboard 200 No. 1
1986 - Promise - Top Jazz Albums No. 4
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Promise
Sade Lyrics
Fear Blue is the color of the red sky Will he, will…
Is It a Crime This may come This may come as some surprise But I miss…
Jezebel Jezebel wasn't born with a silver spoon in her mouth She…
Maureen Maureen It's hard to explain I'm never gonna see you again A…
Mr Wrong He don't care Where he's been playing He doesn't hear A word…
Never As Good As the First Time Good times, they come and they go Never going to know What…
Punch Drunk Music: Hale Instrumental…
Tar Baby Grandma came to see Something she could not believe How coul…
The Sweetest Taboo If I tell you If I tell you now Will you keep…
War Of The Hearts I could aim But I could not fire Got a bullet to…
You're Not The Man You're not the man who gave me everything I've ever…
and
on Tar Baby
The lyrics to Sade's song Tar Baby are full of emotional depth and metaphorical meaning. The song seems to tell the story of a woman who is loved by her grandmother but is perceived as naive and has made a mistake that the grandmother cannot believe. The title "Tar Baby" is derived from an African-American folk tale about a doll made of tar, which represents a trap. The grandmother seems to think that her granddaughter has fallen into a trap and is going down the wrong path. However, the woman has found love, represented by the "tar baby" who has shared a secret with her.
Sade's lyrics seem to convey the power of love to overcome obstacles and healing pain. The song refers to how the woman's love is like a sharp blade that cut through two decades of pain like hot coal on ice. The lyrics also suggest that the woman's love has transformed her life, leading to a golden thread inside the web that she was caught in. The words are full of gratitude and wonder for this love, represented by the magical ability to charm the birds out of the skies with the Tar Baby's magic.
Overall, Sade's song is a testament to the power of love to transform our lives and help heal our pain. The metaphors and allusions used in the lyrics give the song a rich depth of meaning.