Sade Live (1994)

This impressive record of Sade's 1993 live peformances reminds us of just how much her distinctive sound combines languorously emotional pop with lightweight but musically fulfilling cocktail jazz. As fine as the voice is, we can never forget that Sade's backing band are sidemen rather than mere accompanists, and in several of the 18 numbers here we get solos of real virtuosity. The selection of songs includes many of Sade's hits--"Cherry Pie," "Smooth Operator," "Your Love Is King"--and some less well-known songs from the albums, such as "Red Eye" and "Jezebel." --Roz Kaveney, Amazon.co.uk