SADE : LOVERS LIVE

 

  1. Cherish the Day
  2. Your Love Is King
  3. Somebody Already Broke My Heart
  4. Cherry Pie
  5. Pearls
  6. Every Word
  7. Smooth Operator
  8. Redeye
  9. Jezebel
  10. Kiss of Life
  11. Slave Song
  12. The Sweetest Gift
  13. The Sweetest Taboo
  14. Lovers Rock
  15. Immigrant
  16. Paradise
  17. King of Sorrow
  18. No Ordinary Love
  19. By Your Side
  20. Flow
  21. Is It a Crime
  22. It's Only Love That Gets You Through

Label : Sony Music

Release Year : 2002

Running Time : 116 minutes

NTSC : 16:9

Review (AllMusic) : Nearly doubling the amount of tracks and running time of the similarly titled album, this video of one date on Sade's 2001 world tour serves as a handy greatest-hits package as well as documenting one of the classiest and highest-grossing tours of that year. Anyone who thinks Sade's music is too ethereal or plush to make an impact on a concert stage instead of the bedroom needs only to watch this to understand how the creative lights, imaginative set, rear projection films, and her impeccable band combine to create a performance every bit as exciting as Madonna's and far less ostentatious. Since this particular show wasn't altered for film, some of the footage is grainier than you'd think for a high-profile release. The camera work is excellent if a bit more hyperactive than necessary, and Sade's subtle yet charismatic stage presence - along with a lone costume change - proves that in her case, less is more. Extras include short, snappy, but not particularly illuminating backstage and off-stage "candid" visits called "The Band Walking" and "Sade Walking" that lead you to believe everyone had a blast working together, the video for "King of Sorrow" along with black-and-white stills from the tour, and fans gushing their love for the star. In other words, not much. But most important is the 5.1 remixed sound that infuses additional warmth, presence, and intimacy to her already lush music. Occasionally close-ups prove there was some post-concert overdubbing to clean up the audio and fix mistakes, but this is still a remarkably accurate representation of the tour. The order of the songs is identical to the nightly set list, and the extended take on "Smooth Operator" which leads into an instrumental band jam on "Redeye" (neither are on the album) is alone worth the price of this DVD, even if you already own the audio-only version. Changing between menu options is choppy and oddly time-consuming, but this is a video that any Sade fan will need to own. It should also make new fans from those as yet unconvinced of her exquisite vocal charms and magnetic allure live.

Review (Wikipedia) : Lovers Live is the first live album (seventh overall) by the English group Sade. It was released in the United States on 5 February 2002 and in the United Kingdom on 18 February 2002 by Epic Records, and was recorded during one of the shows of their Lovers Live Tour in 2001. The recording was taken from two concerts, held respectively at the Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, California, and at the Great Western Forum in Inglewood, California. The CD contains only thirteen tracks while the DVD is packed with twenty-two tracks plus special features. Lovers Live debuted and peaked at number ten on the U.S. Billboard 200, and became Sade's first album to miss the top 20 of the UK Albums Chart. The album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America on 7 March 2002 with U.S. sales of 562,000 copies, while the DVD was certified platinum on 30 January 2003 for shipping 100,000 copies. The album and DVD were recorded during the band's Lovers Live Tour in 2001. The tour ranked No. 13 on Billboard's year-end tally, grossing $26.5 million and drawing more than 491,000 audience members to 42 concerts. The tour was produced by Clear Channel Entertainment (now Live Nation) and featured India.Arie as the opening act.