Lovers Rock (Sade album)
Lovers Rock is the fifth studio album by English band Sade, released on 13 November 2000 by Epic Records. The album was titled after a style of reggae music known as lovers rock, noted for its romantic sound and content, which frontwoman Sade Adu listened to in her youth. Lovers Rock was seen as a departure from the band's previous use of jazz elements, opting instead for a wider use of musical elements from soul music, R&B, soft rock, folk music, dub, reggae, neo soul and lovers rock. The album's production has been characterised as spare, with simple arrangements and reggae flourishes. A concept album, the lyrics focus on both the positive and the negative sides of love; the album's lyrical content also touches upon political themes.
Lovers Rock
13 November 2000
September 1999 – August 2000
- Sarm Hook End (London)
- El Cortijo (San Pedro de Alcántara, Spain)
- Deliverance (London)
44:10
- Sade
- Mike Pela
Upon release, Lovers Rock was met with generally positive reviews from music critics, who praised the band's musical direction. The album earned Sade the Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album in 2002. Commercially, the album reached number 18 on the UK Albums Chart and number three on the US Billboard 200. It has since been certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), having sold over 3 million copies in the United States by February 2010. The album spawned two singles—"By Your Side" and "King of Sorrow"—and was further promoted by the band's Lovers Rock Tour.
Background[edit]
The band's fourth studio album, Love Deluxe, was released on 26 October 1992. The album peaked at number three on the US Billboard 200 and has sold 3.4 million copies in the United States.[1][2] It was later certified four-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments of four million copies.[3] The album was also commercially successful elsewhere, reaching number one in France and the top 10 in the Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.[4][5][6] Following the release of Love Deluxe, the band took an eight-year hiatus, during which Adu came under media scrutiny with rumours of depression and addiction, and later went on to give birth to her first child.[7] During this time, the other members of the band—Stuart Matthewman, Paul S. Denman, and Andrew Hale—worked on side projects, including the band 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.[8]
Release and promotion[edit]
The album was first released in the United Kingdom on 13 November 2000. Lovers Rock was titled after the romantic strain of reggae also known as lovers rock, which Adu listened to in her youth.[16] "By Your Side" was released as the lead single from the album and was nominated for the 2002 Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, but lost out to Nelly Furtado's "I'm Like a Bird". It also placed at number 48 on VH1's list of the "100 Greatest Love Songs".[17] The single reached number 75 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 17 on the UK Singles Chart.[6][18] "King of Sorrow" was released as the album's second single on 12 March 2001. The song performed poorly on charts, peaking at number 59 on the UK chart[6] and failing to impact the US Billboard Hot 100, instead reaching number one on the US Billboard Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart.[19]
To promote the album, Sade embarked on the Lovers Rock Tour across North America, which was announced via Sade's website in April 2001.[20] The announcement stated the tour would begin in the summer of 2001 with 30 shows. Initial dates were rescheduled due to extended rehearsal time. The shows sold well, with many stops adding additional shows. In August 2001, the tour was extended by eight weeks, due to ticket demand.[21]
Deemed by many critics as a comeback tour, it marked the band's first performance since 1994 and lasted until 2011. Although many believed the trek would expand to other countries, this never came to fruition. It became the 13th highest-grossing tour of 2001, earning $26,488,293 million and drawing 491,151 audience members to 42 concerts.[22]
Following the tour, Sade released their first live album, Lovers Live, on 5 February 2002 by Epic Records. Lovers Live reached number 10 on the US Billboard 200 and number 51 on the UK Albums Chart, Sade's first album to miss the top 20 in the UK. The album was certified gold by the RIAA on 7 March 2002, having sold 562,000 copies in the US,[23] while the DVD was certified platinum on 30 January 2003 for shipments in excess of 100,000 copies.[24]
Commercial performance[edit]
Lovers Rock debuted at number 18 on the UK Albums Chart, selling 28,245 copies in its first week.[37] The album had sold 325,363 copies in the United Kingdom as of February 2010,[38] and was certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) on 22 July 2013.[39] Lovers Rock debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 with 370,000 copies sold in its first week, marking the largest first-week sales of 2000 by a British artist in the United States.[40] It spent 58 weeks on the chart,[2] and went on to become the 14th best-selling album of 2001 in the US and the 109th best-selling album of the 2000s decade.[41][42] On 18 July 2001, it was certified triple platinum by the RIAA,[43] and had sold 3.9 million copies in the United States by February 2010.[44] The album also peaked at number two on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart,[45] as well as number 13 on the Canadian Albums Chart,[46] where it was later certified double platinum by the Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA).[47]