Together these four people are responsible for a very smooth, sultry sound. Love Deluxe has a very bluesy feel to it. There is an insistent, low-key drum beat that guides the songs through, while on top of this is some soulful saxophone and the honeyed voice of vocalist Sade.
This looks to be a winning combination with the opening track 'No Ordinary Love'. This song is a hauntingly beautiful ballad sung with all the feeling Sade can muster. "I keep crying/I keep trying for you/there's nothing like you and I baby/this is no ordinary love".
Unfortunately the album never reaches these heights again. While the intoxicating sound remains it is a little sad that the songs are not of the same quality. 'Feel No Pain', 'I Couldn't Love you More', 'Like a Tattoo', Kiss of Life', 'Cherish the Day', 'Pearls' and 'Bullet Proof Soul' are not the worst songs ever written, but they're not the best either. To label them average is no more or less than they deserve.
The only other bit of Love Deluxe worth mentioning is the final track 'Mermaid'. This is a purely instrumental piece. While it is not as good as 'No Ordinary Love' it has a similar feel to it and is the closest the album comes to matching the quality of the first song.
So Love Deluxe starts well and ends well, but it could probably do with some repairs in between. Still it is one of those albums that is nice to have on in the background as Sade's sound is extremely mesmerising and one of the things that helps redeem an otherwise poor album.
RATING: 4/10
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