November 3, 2000

By Your Side

The return of [a]Sade[/a] is... kind of an anticlimax...

Sade comes back with her first release for eight years, and all I can say is 'Hmmm'. Its pace is slow to the point of depression and it's also burdened by bland production. Vocally, Sade's as smooth as ever, but this track just doesn't do her justice, and, after being away for sooo long, you come away feel robbed. After all, we wanted her to come back with something strong, yet this track is weaker than student tea. The package comes replete with three mixes; The Neptunes (producers of Kelis' 'Caught Out There' and Mystikal's 'Shake That Ass') provide the best of the bunch, showing the two reggae-inspired mixes up as dire.

Steve Clarke