Sade

It’s been called smooth jazz and sophisti-pop, neither of which sound very appealing. Yet the languid, soul-inflected music of Sade was a hit with audiences from the time of the band’s first singles, 1984’s "Your love is king" and "Smooth operator". Those songs came from the Sade debut, Diamond Life, a top ten album in most of the English-speaking world (and a lot of other places as well).

The titular singer (real name Helen Folasade Adu, born in Nigeria, raised in the UK) brought a delicious vocal style to the pop charts; part cool jazz diva, part sensual story-teller. The band made six studio albums (and one live one) across a twenty-six year career; all are packed with smoky melodies and classy playing.