Love Deluxe

Love Deluxe is the fourth studio album by English band Sade. It was released in the United States on 26 October 1992 and in the United Kingdom on 1 November 1992 by Epic Records.

Love Deluxe
Studio album by Sade
Released	26 October 1992
Recorded	1992
Studio	Condulmer, Venice, Italy Ridge Farm, Surrey, England The Hit Factory, New York City Image Recording, Los Angeles
Genre	Ambient[1] cool jazz[2] trip hop[3]
Length	45:47
Label	Epic
Producer	Sade Mike Pela
Sade chronology
Stronger Than Pride (1988) Love Deluxe (1992) The Best of Sade (1994)
Singles from Love Deluxe
"No Ordinary Love" Released: 8 October 1992 "Feel No Pain" Released: 28 November 1992 "Kiss of Life" Released: 12 April 1993 "Cherish the Day" Released: 31 July 1993

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
Entertainment Weekly	B[1]
Los Angeles Times	[4]
NME	7/10[5]
Pitchfork	9.3/10[3]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[6]
The Village Voice	B−[7]

In a contemporary review for The Village Voice, music critic Robert Christgau felt that half of the album cannot qualify with Sade's most memorable songs and particularly panned the lyric about a Somali woman who "hurts like brand-new shoes" on the song "Pearls".[7] Amy Linden of Entertainment Weekly stated that the album "surges with emotion, but the mostly lush ambient music on Love Deluxe is low on the oomph meter."[1] In a retrospective review, AllMusic's Ron Wynn wrote that it "marked a return to the detached cool jazz backing and even icier vocals that made her debut album a sensation" with an "urbane sound."[2]

In 2020, Rolling Stone ranked the album 247th on its list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.[8]

Commercial performance

Love Deluxe peaked at number 10 on the UK Albums Chart,[9] and was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) on 1 June 1993.[10] In the United States, the album peaked at number three on the Billboard 200,[11] and as of May 2003, it had sold 3.4 million copies.[12] The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified it four-times platinum on 9 November 1994, denoting shipments in excess of four million copies.[13] The album was also commercially successful elsewhere, reaching number one in France and the top 10 in Belgium, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.[14][15][16][17]

Aftermath

Following the release of Love Deluxe, the band had a seven-year hiatus, during which Sade Adu came under media scrutiny with rumours of depression and addiction and later gave birth to her first child.[18] During this time, the other members of the band, Matthewman, Denman, and Hale, went on to other projects, including Sweetback, which released a self-titled album in 1996. Matthewman also played a major role in the development of Maxwell's career, providing instrumentation and production work for the R&B singer's first two albums.[19]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"No Ordinary Love"	Sade Adu Stuart Matthewman	7:20
2.	"Feel No Pain"	Adu Andrew Hale Matthewman	5:08
3.	"I Couldn't Love You More"	Adu Hale Matthewman Paul S. Denman	3:49
4.	"Like a Tattoo"	Adu Hale Matthewman	3:38
5.	"Kiss of Life"	Adu Matthewman Hale Denman	5:50
6.	"Cherish the Day"	Adu Hale Matthewman	5:34
7.	"Pearls"	Adu Hale	4:34
8.	"Bullet Proof Soul"	Adu Matthewman Hale	5:26
9.	"Mermaid"	Hale Adu Matthewman Denman	4:23
Total length:			45:47

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Love Deluxe.[20]

Sade Paul S. Denman – bass Sade Adu – vocals Andrew Hale – keyboards Stuart Matthewman – guitars, saxophone Sade – arrangements Additional musicians Leroy Osbourne – vocals Martin Ditcham – drums (track 5); percussion (tracks 1, 5) Nick Ingman – string arrangements (tracks 5, 7) Gavyn Wright – orchestra leader Tony Pleeth – solo cello (track 7)

Technical Sade – production Mike Pela – co-production, engineering Chris Lord-Alge – engineering, mixing (track 9) Sandro Franchin – engineering assistance Adrian Moore – engineering assistance Marc Williams – engineering assistance Stephen Marcussen – mastering Artwork Albert Watson – photography Peter Brawne – design Quest Typesetting – production

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1992–93) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA)[21] 13 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[22] 11 Belgian Albums (IFPI)[15] 3 Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[23] 16 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[14] 10 European Albums (Music & Media)[24] 2 Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[25] 11 French Albums (SNEP)[16] 1 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[26] 14 Greek Albums (IFPI)[27] 4 Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[28] 38 Italian Albums (Musica e dischi)[16] 2 Japanese Albums (Oricon)[29] 10 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[30] 5 Portuguese Albums (AFP)[17] 4 Spanish Albums (AFYVE)[31] 6 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[32] 7 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[33] 6 UK Albums (OCC)[9] 10 US Billboard 200[11] 3 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[34] 2

Year-end charts Chart (1992) Position Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[35] 94 Chart (1993) Position European Albums (Music & Media)[36] 34 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[37] 68 US Billboard 200[38] 12 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[39] 3 Chart (1994) Position US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[40] 51

Certifications and sales

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[41]	Platinum	70,000^^
Canada (Music Canada)[42]	Platinum	100,000^^
France (SNEP)[43]	Platinum	300,000^*
Germany (BVMI)[44]	Gold	250,000^^
Italy	—	220,000[45]
Japan (RIAJ)[46]	Platinum	200,000^^
Netherlands (NVPI)[47]	Gold	50,000^^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[48]	Gold	7,500^^
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[49]	2× Platinum	200,000^^
Sweden (GLF)[50]	Gold	50,000^^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[51]	Gold	25,000^^
United Kingdom (BPI)[10]	Gold	100,000^^
United States (RIAA)[13]	4× Platinum	3,400,000[12]
^* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

1. Linden, Amy (13 November 1992). "Love Deluxe". Entertainment Weekly. No. 144. ISSN 1049-0434. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
2. Wynn, Ron. "Love Deluxe – Sade". AllMusic. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
3. Nelson, Brad (9 April 2017). "Sade: Love Deluxe". Pitchfork. Retrieved 9 April 2017.
4. Hunt, Dennis (1 November 1992). "Sade, 'Love Deluxe,' Epic". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
5. "Sade: Love Deluxe". NME. 28 November 1992. p. 29. ISSN 0028-6362.
6. Sarig, Roni (2004). "Sade". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). New York: Simon & Schuster. pp. 712–13. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
7. Christgau, Robert (23 November 1993). "Turkey Shoot". The Village Voice. New York. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
8. "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. 22 September 2020. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
9. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
10. "British album certifications – Sade – Love Deluxe". British Phonographic Industry. 1 June 1993. Retrieved 31 March 2014. Select albums in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type Love Deluxe in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
11. "Sade Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
12. Caulfield, Keith (7 May 2003). "Ask Billboard: Loving Sade". Billboard. Retrieved 16 September 2015.
13. "American album certifications – Sade – Love Deluxe". Recording Industry Association of America. 9 November 1994. Retrieved 31 March 2014. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH. 
14. "Dutchcharts.nl – Sade – Love Deluxe" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
15. "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 9 no. 51/52. 19 December 1992. p. 43. OCLC 29800226. Retrieved 6 February 2019 – via American Radio History.
16. "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 9 no. 50. 12 December 1992. p. 22. OCLC 29800226. Retrieved 6 February 2019 – via American Radio History.
17. "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 9 no. 49. 5 December 1992. p. 24. OCLC 29800226. Retrieved 6 February 2019 – via American Radio History.
18. Eshun, Ekow (Winter 2000). "Sade's Complex Relationship With Fame Can Still Teach Us Something, 15 Years Later". The Fader. No. 6. Retrieved 16 September 2015.
19. "iTunes Preview – Sade – Biography". iTunes Store. Retrieved 16 September 2015.
20. Love Deluxe (liner notes). Sade. Epic Records. 1992. 472626 2.CS1 maint: others (link)
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22. "Austriancharts.at – Sade – Love Deluxe" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
23. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 1730". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
24. "European Top 100 Albums" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 9 no. 50. 12 December 1992. p. 21. OCLC 29800226. Retrieved 6 February 2019 – via American Radio History.
25. Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
26. "Offiziellecharts.de – Sade – Love Deluxe" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
27. "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10 no. 2. 9 January 1993. p. 12. OCLC 29800226. Retrieved 6 February 2019 – via American Radio History.
28. "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 1993. 24. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
29. シャーデーのアルバム売り上げランキング [Sade album sales ranking] (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on 31 March 2014. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
30. "Charts.nz – Sade – Love Deluxe". Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
31. "Hits of the World". Billboard. Vol. 104 no. 48. 28 November 1992. p. 61. ISSN 0006-2510.
32. "Swedishcharts.com – Sade – Love Deluxe". Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
33. "Swisscharts.com – Sade – Love Deluxe". Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 May 2008.
34. "Sade Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
35. "The RPM Top 100 Albums of 1992" (PDF). RPM. Vol. 56 no. 25. 19 December 1992. ISSN 0315-5994. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
36. "1993 Year-End Sales Charts – Eurochart Hot 100 Albums" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10 no. 51/52. 18 December 1993. p. 15. OCLC 29800226. Retrieved 6 February 2019 – via American Radio History.
37. "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts – 1993" (in German). Offizielle Deutsche Charts. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
38. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1993". Billboard. Archived from the original on 13 January 2019. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
39. "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1993". Billboard. Archived from the original on 6 February 2019. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
40. "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1994". Billboard. Archived from the original on 6 February 2019. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
41. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2011 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on 10 August 2020. Retrieved 8 March 2012.
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43. "Les Albums Platine". InfoDisc (in French). Archived from the original on 8 October 2014. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
44. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Sade; 'Love Deluxe')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 31 May 2008.
45. "Sade Si Scalda e Incanta Tutti". La Stampa (in Italian). 6 April 1993. p. 49. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
46. "Japanese album certifications – Sade – Love Deluxe" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved 6 February 2019. Select 1993年11月 on the drop-down menu
47. "Dutch album certifications – Sade – Love Deluxe" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved 6 February 2019. Enter Love Deluxe in the "Artiest of titel" box.
48. "New Zealand album certifications – Sade – Love Deluxe". Recorded Music NZ. 29 August 1993. Retrieved 30 June 2017.
49. Salaverrie, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (PDF) (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Madrid: Fundación Autor/SGAE. p. 935. ISBN 84-8048-639-2. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
50. "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1987−1998" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. 10 November 1993. Retrieved 27 July 2009.
51. "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Sade; 'Love Deluxe')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 March 2014.