I was a big fan of English band Sade during their peak of popularity that lasted from 1984 through the early 90s. Named after their front woman and lead vocalist Sade Adu (born Helen Folasade Adu in Ibadan, Nigeria but raised in England from the age of four on), the band also included Paul Anthony Cooke, Stuart Mathewman, and Paul Spencer Denman, all of whom were from Hull, Yorkshire. Their beautiful music is a captivating blend of neo soul, R&B, quiet storm, smooth jazz and sophisti-pop, highlighted by Sade Adu’s velvety smooth sensual vocals. Between 1984 and 2011, they released six well-received and critically-acclaimed studio albums, one live album and two greatest hits compilations, all of which reached the top 10 on the Billboard 200 Album chart. Two of them – Promise in 1985 and Soldier of Love in 2010 – went all the way to #1.
Though my favorite song by Sade is their 1984 hit “Smooth Operator”, my second-favorite is their 1986 single “Never as Good as the First Time“. I remember loving it the first time I heard it (no pun intended), as so many things about it strongly appealed to me. First off, I love the arresting opening male vocal by Leroy Osbourne, accompanied by gorgeous orchestral strings. Then the song expands into a languid and sensual bass-driven groove that sounds like a mix of Latin and Caribbean, highlighted by marvelous edgy percussion and what sounds like a scratchy guitar, accompanied by marimba and saxophone. As always, Sade’s vocals are absolute perfection as she sings of the thrilling bliss of that first kiss with someone we’re hopelessly attracted to.
On the strength of this song as well as “The Sweetest Taboo”, which I also liked a lot, I bought a vinyl copy of Promise. But I was terribly disappointed to discover that the album version of “Never as Good as the First Time” sounded quite different from the song I’d been hearing on the radio. While the song still sounds good and Sade’s vocals are great, the album version seems more subdued and, most importantly, lacks the wonderful male vocal intro I loved so much. It also ran a full minute longer than the single version (which was not necessarily a problem). My guess is that the single version that got radio play was likely recorded after the album was completed. Oh well, at least I can now stream my preferred version to my heart’s content!
The single was much more successful in the U.S., where it reached #8 on the Billboard R&B Singles chart and #20 on the Hot 100, than in the UK, where it peaked at only #89. The music video for the single, shot in black and white, features Sade Adu riding a horse through the towns of El Rocío, Almonte, and Huelva in Andalusia, Spain. (Wikipedia)
Irish singer-songwriter Hozier remains at #1 for a second week with his wonderful “Too Sweet”, while the equally wonderful “Burial Ground” by The Decemberists and James Mercer slides into second place. The relentlessly infectious “I’ve Got Loving For You” by Texas rock & roll band Bottlecap Mountain moves up five spots to #5, and Pearl Jam are the biggest upward movers again this week, as their pleasing introspective single “Wreckage” jumps eight spots to enter the top 10 at #10.
Four excellent songs enter my chart this week, beginning with “Highway Queen” by Los Angeles-based indie folk-rock band Mt. Joy, at #27. It’s their fourth song to appear on my chart. Next up, coming in at #28, is “High In Low Places”, the latest single by Beach Weather, who are very likely my favorite band right now. The gorgeous song has a sultry Western vibe and a hook that’s so damned catchy I keep humming it long after hearing it. It’s their fifth song to appear on my chart, three of which have reached #1, and I can already guarantee that “High In Low Places” will be their fourth. The third entry is the latest single “LUNCH” by Los Angeles-based superstar Billie Eilish. The delightful song is the lead single from her new album HIT ME HARD AND SOFT, which dropped May 17th. Coming in at #30 is the lovely “Like You Do” by Virginia-based singer-songwriter The Frontier, which I reviewed last month. I’ve been a long-time fan of his, and “Like You Do” is his seventh song to appear on my chart (four of which have reached #1).
TOO SWEET – Hozier (1)
BURIAL GROUND – The Decemberists and James Mercer (3)
This past Tuesday night, June 4th, I had the pleasure of seeing the living legend that is Janet Jackson live in concert for the very first time. I’ve been a long-time fan of hers since early 1986, when I fell in love with her break out hit “What Have You Done For Me Lately”, but have never seen one of her shows until now. I saw her at Acrisure Arena, the same Coachella Valley venue where I saw the Eagles, Tears for Fears and Stevie Nicks last year. This show kicked off the second leg of her North American Together Again Tour, which includes 35 shows that will conclude July 30th in Phoenix. Named after Jackson’s 1997 hit “Together Again”, the tour is a sequel to her highly successful 2023 tour of the same name. She’ll be following with a run of shows in Europe later in the year.
Photo of Janet Jackson taken from her Facebook account
Over a storied career spanning more than 40 years, Jackson has released eleven albums, seven of which have reached number one, and 70 singles, ten of which have gone to number one, with another 16 reaching the top 10. She has sold over 180 million records and won a plethora of awards, including five Grammy Awards, eleven American Music Awards, ten MTV Video Music Awards, and eleven Billboard Music Awards.
Opening for her on this tour is American rapper, singer-songwriter and actor Nelly (born Cornell Iral Haynes Jr. in Austin, Texas, and raised in St. Louis, Missouri). Now 49, Nelly’s had quite a successful career in his own right, garnering three number one albums and four number one singles during the period of his greatest success between 2000 and 2005. He’s won numerous accolades throughout his career, including three Grammy Awards and nine Billboard Music Awards.
Nelly appeared on stage promptly at 8:00 pm, accompanied by DJ Trife, his half-brother City Spud and four female backup dancers. He wasted no time getting the crowd worked up with his engaging, high-energy stage presence, performing many of his biggest hits, including “Ride Wit Me”, “Country Grammar”, “E.I”, “Dilemma”, and “Hot In Herre”. Between songs, Nelly repeatedly expressed his love and appreciation for his fans, graciously thanking us for following and supporting him over the past 25 years. He closed his 40-minute, eight song set with a rousing performance of fan favorite “Hot In Herre”.
After a 20-minute break, four male dancers in stylish gray suits appeared on stage in front of a huge cylindrical curtain that slowly lifted, revealing Jackson on a raised platform wearing an oversized satin coat resembling a ball gown, as the audience roared with glee. Accompanied by her sexy dancers, she shed the coat and launched into a medley of eight songs starting with “Night” from her 2015 album Unbreakable, followed with a live debut of “2nite” from her 2008 album Discipline. She was backed by a live band who faithfully recreated the superb instrumentation of her many songs. My only complaint, and it’s a minor one, is that the loud, bass-heavy music occasionally overpowered her vocals.
At 58, Jackson looks and sounds as good as ever, effortlessly moving about the stage like someone half her age. The medley of her first set of songs, some of which I did not recognize, ran together in rapid succession until she finally slowed things down with her sultry 1993 hit “That’s the Way Love Goes”. She followed with an electrifying performance of one of my personal favorites “Love Will Never Do (Without You)”, from her massively successful 1989 album Rhythm Nation 1814.
The elaborate sets and creative lighting effects were outstanding, featuring a dramatic array of brightly-colored laser beams that shone across the arena throughout her show.
Halfway through her set, Jackson reappeared in a new costume (she wore a total of four different ones) and sat on a stool in the middle of the stage under a large purplish globe, whereupon she sang a medley of her softer ballads “Take Care”, “Let’s Wait Awhile”, “Again” and “Any Time, Any Place”. She then launched into a medley of some of her most upbeat songs, including “Make Me”, “All For You”, “Alright”, “Escapade” and “Miss You Much”. “Escapade”, from Rhythm Nation 1814, is my all-time favorite song by Jackson, and I’d hoped she would sing in its entirety, however, she truncated the song in the medley, which she followed with “Miss You Much”, another smash hit from the same album. Nevertheless, an enjoyable performance of both songs (notwithstanding a nearby woman loudly singing along).
She continued delivering hit after hit, ending her set with an electrifying performance of one of her signature songs “Rhythm Nation”. Sorry about the person’s hand holding a mobile phone suddenly dominating the video at the end!
At the end of that song’s performance, Jackson profusely thanked the crowd for coming to her show, and she and her dancers left the stage as the lights faded. The audience responded with uproarious cheers and applause, repeatedly shouting for an encore. Jackson and company complied, returning to perform her 2001 hit “Someone To Call My Lover” (which samples the guitar riff from America’s song “Ventura Highway”) and closing with “Together Again”. In all, she sang all or part of 41 songs in a performance lasting one hour and 45 minutes. My husband and I – as well as all other 11,000-plus fans – enjoyed every minute of it!
Tour setlist
Night
2nite
Slolove
Rock With U
Throb
All Nite (Don’t Stop)
No Sleeep
Got ‘Til It’s Gone
That’s the Way Love Goes
Love Will Never Do (Without You)
What Have You Done For Me Lately
Nasty
The Pleasure Principle
You Want This
When I Think Of You
Diamonds (Herb Alpert cover)
The Best Things in Life Are Free
Control
Son Of A Gun (I Betcha Think This Song Is About You)
I just love Irish singer-songwriter Hozier, who’s had quite a resurgence over the past year or so with his critically acclaimed third studio album Unreal Unearth, which featured his two hit singles “Eat Your Young” and “Francesca”, his duet “Northern Attitude” with American singer-songwriter Noah Kahan, as well as his latest single “Too Sweet”. Released in late March a week after he dropped his fifth EP Unheard, the song has turned out to be his highest charting single both in the UK and on the Billboard Hot 100 where it reached #1 in April. Now it ascends to the top of my chart, becoming his fifth song to do so (including “Take Me to Church” in 2014, “Nina Cried Power”, featuring Mavis Staples, in 2018, “Eat Your Young” in 2023 and “Northern Attitude” earlier this year). The song’s lyrics are directed at a romantic partner with totally different lifestyle preferences – the singer enjoys staying up late and drinking alcohol and black coffee, in contrast with his partner who goes to bed early, eats healthy, etc. – in other words, she’s too sweet for him.
In other significant chart developments, the delightful “Burial Ground” by The Decemberists and James Mercer jumps six spots to #3, while “I’ve Got Loving For You” by Texas rock & roll band Bottlecap Mountain enters the top 10 at #10. Pearl Jam are the biggest upward movers this week with their latest single “Wreckage”, leaping 10 spots to #18.
And for the fourth consecutive week, there are three new debut songs, two of which are by Norwegian acts. Entering at #28 is the wonderfully infectious “Too Much” by Norwegian alternative indie pop artist girl in red, the music project of queer singer songwriter and producer Marie Ulven Ringheim, who’s been making music since the age of 16 (she’s now 25. “Too Much” was the lead single from her second album I’m Doing It Again Baby!, released in April. Next up is “Starburster” by Irish post-punk band Fontaines D.C., who’ve become one of my favorite bands over the past few years. I adore band frontman Grian Chatten’s sultry drone vocal style, and his rapping on this track is fantastic. “Starburster”, which I loved at first listen, is the lead single from their forthcoming fourth studio album Romance, due for release in August. Entering at #30 is the gorgeous darkwave gem “A Foretold Ecstasy” by Norwegian psych-noir/post-punk band Mayflower Madame. I featured the song last month in one of my Fresh New Tracks posts.
TOO SWEET – Hozier (2)
MURDER ON THE DANCEFLOOR – Royel Otis (1)
BURIAL GROUND – The Decemberists & James Mercer (9)
ECLECTIC MUSIC LOVER 