Personnel: Sade Adu (vocals); Leroy Osbourne (vocals); Stuart Matthewman (guitar, woodwinds, programming); Andy Nice (cello); Andrew Hale (keyboards, programming); Janusz Podrazik (keyboards); Paul S. Denman (bass); Karl Vanden Bossche (percussion). Recorded between September 1999 & August 2000. LOVERS ROCK won the 2002 Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album. Examining the career of former model/fashion design student Helen Folasade Adu, it's apparent that the span between studio albums increased exponentially. Eight years after LOVE DELUXE, the original members of Sade's band regrouped and here recapture the magic of the former ensemble. The vocals on LOVERS ROCK are unmistakably sensual and enchanting. Guitarist Stuart Matthewman steers clear of the crunchy electric sound that was his signature on LOVE DELUXE, the one exception being "Somebody Already Broke My Heart," which has some tasty understated percussive palm muting in the choruses. From an instrumental perspective, LOVERS ROCK leans a bit more to the electronic side, but technology doesn't dampen the atmosphere and simple beauty of the music. Not surprisingly, the focus continues to be the sweet, often mournful melodies of a unique pop vocalist.
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