The Greatest Music
Diamond Life
by Sade
The 339th greatest album of all time
Diamond Life is Sade's 1984 debut album that blends smooth soul, sophisti-pop, pop and downtempo, built around Sade Adu's cool, intimate vocal delivery. The record is noted for its polished, jazz-tinged arrangements, warm bass and sax lines, restrained percussion and an overall mellow, nocturnal mood that foregrounds melody and atmosphere. Songs such as "Smooth Operator" and "Your Love Is King" exemplify the album's refined, adult-oriented sound that helped define a sophisticated pop-soul aesthetic in the 1980s.
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