8. SadeLove Deluxe

Reuben started listening to Sade a couple of years ago. I heard him playing ‘Your Love Is King’ one day, and it reminded me of how utterly spellbinding her voice is. He renewed my interest in Sade again, and I’ve revisited all the albums since then. Reuben is our lounge DJ at family and friend gatherings, and everyone was surprised at first to hear him play Sade songs. Since then, he’s unearthed many great records from the past. He was playing Hugh Masekela to us last week. 

I remember buying Love Deluxe on tape during my first year at university. ‘No Ordinary Love’ and ‘Kiss Of Life’ are my favourite tracks. I used to play this album and The Sundays’ Reading, Writing And Arithmetic whilst writing up last-minute assignments in my dorm room, well into the early hours. It’s a deliriously lush album and kept me in good company during those long nights. I love the instrumentation on this record, with the programmed percussion and moody trip hop sonic atmosphere. It was a real departure from their other albums, and one that I loved.