Queen of Sorrow

Like all queens, Sade realizes that her power is derived as much from her absence as from her presence. She is as much imaginary as real, as much real as imaginary. She is of the people but not among the people. She stands close enough to be be seen but never to be touched. Just when we suspect that she might not exist she makes an appearance at the window, lightly teasing the almost sheer curtain with her fingertips to let us know she's coming. And when she arrives her gift is that she allows us to enter the sacred space of the Witness: an open, closed space -a temple- defined by her chilly passion where she projects the fruits of her labor, of her love, of her loss, of her longings. It's in this space that Sade sings us her new songs. It's nighttime. It is not hot. It is not cold. It's the climate of reflection.

Sade has been smart enough to repeat herself without shame. She's possessed enough by her vision that she wants you to remember what you feel when you're with her. Each time you feel that prick the point edges closer to the bone. For 25 years her project has been mapping that area of the heart and the mind that we usually identify as feminine. Not a hysterical femininity, but the kind that will let you see her cry but will never let you see her sweat because the beads are tinged with a bit of blood. Faceted. The color of young rubies. They are quietly stunning like her voice which sings of secrets in secret, in spite of itself. In the chasm that occupies the space between her desire to scream but willingness to only whisper is the doorway to her story which in turn is the doorway to our own. She becomes a catalyst for communion with the part of ourselves which give births to life through suffering, melancholy and experience.

I've lost the use of my heart
But I'm still alive
Still looking for the life
The endless pool on the other side.

Soldier of Love is the latest installment in an extended song cycle which began with Diamond Life. We already know what it's about which makes us listen even closer. Very little to decipher. Much to love. In the absence of her doing anything radically different there's no need to talk about the specifics. Listen with your own ears and process in private. Privacy is the territory of Sade's music. Together alone.