Music Video Review: Sade's "Soldier of Love"

By our guest blogger, Megan O'Malley

Sade’s latest release, “Soldier of Love,” has been a 17-month process and it finally is making its debut. The title track has become the latest single, and the edgy feel of the song crosses over into a military style video.

Less boot camp and more surreal, Sade’s video for “Soldier of Love” is an interesting piece--it almost is like watching a military soldier’s dream of a Salvador Dali painting.

The Nigerian born singer takes military and western themes, and blends them with ranging waves, flames and a troop of back-up dancers. Sade herself is less the focal point of the video and more like a sparkling piece of art that holds the whole video together. “Soldier of Love” depicts a wasteland. There is no conclusive narrative; instead, it is more of a jumble of shots depicting Sade lassoing, back-up dancers doing military moves, and images of a white horse. The desert landscape and dark tones of the video complement the singer’s immediately recognizable voice and strong beat of the song. It is eerie and somber, but not without a bit of pizzazz. Sade dons a sparkly silver jumpsuit in parts and the dance troupe performs some pretty cool choreography, but overall the mood is nowhere near lighthearted or fun. The surrealism and color schemes make “Soldier of Love” a downer of a video.

These qualities fit well with the tone of the song, though. Sade’s precision and stomping rhythm makes listeners want to bop their head to beat. She has managed to intertwine a resonating percussion section with her smoky singing style, making “Soldier of Love” one of those unique songs that stand out from others. Her backup singers round out the chorus and give the song a fuller feel when it needs it, although they drop off at just the right times. Sade has a beautiful voice and she really uses it in “Soldier of Love.” For the most part, this latest single from Sade is one that is better to just listen to.  The video could be skipped.

Grade: B-

View the video for "Soldier of Love" below. What are your thoughts?