Lovers Live is the first live album and third video album by English band Sade, released on 5 February 2002 by Epic Records. It was recorded at the Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, California, on 20 September 2001 and at the Great Western Forum in Inglewood, California, on 21 September as part of the band's Lovers Rock Tour. The CD contains 13 tracks, while the DVD contains 22 tracks as well as special features. The live version of the track "Somebody Already Broke My Heart" was released as a single from the album.

Lovers Live
Live album by
Released5 February 2002 (2002-02-05)
Recorded20–21 September 2001
Venue
Length69:55
LabelEpic
DirectorSophie Muller
Sade chronology
Lovers Rock
(2000)
Lovers Live
(2002)
Soldier of Love
(2010)
Sade video chronology
Live
(1994)
Lovers Live
(2002)
Bring Me Home: Live 2011
(2012)

Lovers Rock Tour

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The album and DVD were recorded during the band's Lovers Rock Tour in September 2001. The tour ranked number 13 on Billboard's year-end tally, grossing $26,488,293 million and drawing 491,151 audience members to 42 concerts.[1] The tour featured India Arie and Youssou N'Dour as the opening acts.[2]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [3]
Q     [4]
Rolling StoneFavourable[5]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide     [6]

Brad Kohlenstein of AllMusic commented, "Above all things, the record is smooth. Sade's new songs mix seamlessly with classics from every stage of her career. An energetic eight-piece band breathes new life to the old tunes and offers another look at the Lovers Rock material. The highlight, of course, is Sade's intoxicating voice and it's clear that the audience is under her spell from her first breath. Lovers Live is a sum greater than any one of its parts, but there are some standout moments, like the rocking version of 'Paradise,' 'The Sweetest Gift' (a song written for her daughter), and a haunting rendition of 'Jezebel.' Even though the recordings were taking from various performances throughout the tour, the album feels like one cohesive performance and makes for a great listen all the way through."[3]

J. Victoria Sanders of PopMatters noted, "It may be easier for Sade to become even more of an international force if her live show reflected more energy and passion that is sometimes offered in her studio work. She will always be appreciated for her sweetness and the temperate nature of her songs. There's nothing wrong with being cool and smooth – we all need some of that sometimes. But when and if Sade can move into a different musical space where she is brave enough to improvise onstage or surrender to the music in vocal phrases and not just words, she will be able to rise to legendary status. After all, it's not hard to love her – 48 million records sold worldwide prove that. It's just a bit of a stretch to love her formulaic live recording. Sade fans will see Lovers Live as a triumph. Music connoisseurs will see it as a bit dull (except for the eager fans at the concert who whooped and hollered), understanding that a woman capable of creating such beautiful music, is capable of a much more compelling performance."[7]

Commercial performance

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Lovers Live reached number 10 on the US Billboard 200 and number 51 on the UK Albums Chart, Sade's first album to miss the top 20 in the United Kingdom. The album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on 7 March 2002, and had sold 562,000 copies in the United States by February 2006,[8] while the DVD was certified platinum on 30 January 2003, denoting shipments in excess of 100,000 copies.[9]

Track listing

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CD
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Cherish the Day"6:37
2."Somebody Already Broke My Heart"
5:13
3."Smooth Operator"4:16
4."Jezebel"
  • Adu
  • Matthewman
6:44
5."Kiss of Life"
  • Adu
  • Matthewman
  • Hale
  • Denman
4:58
6."Slave Song"
  • Adu
  • Matthewman
  • Hale
  • Denman
4:35
7."The Sweetest Gift"
  • Adu
  • Matthewman
  • Hale
  • Denman
2:32
8."The Sweetest Taboo"
  • Adu
  • Martin Ditcham
6:01
9."Paradise"
  • Adu
  • Matthewman
  • Hale
  • Denman
4:32
10."No Ordinary Love"
  • Adu
  • Matthewman
6:09
11."By Your Side"
  • Adu
  • Matthewman
  • Hale
  • Denman
4:54
12."Flow"
  • Adu
  • Matthewman
  • Hale
  • Denman
5:01
13."Is It a Crime?"
  • Adu
  • Matthewman
  • Hale
8:23
Total length:69:55
Best Buy exclusive bonus disc
No.TitleLength
1."Every Word"4:20
2."Cherry Pie"6:02
Borders exclusive bonus disc
No.TitleLength
1."King of Sorrow"4:56
Circuit City exclusive bonus disc
No.TitleLength
1."Immigrant"3:56
2."It's Only Love That Gets You Through"3:50
Wherehouse exclusive bonus disc
No.TitleLength
1."Lovers Rock"4:30
DVD
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Cherish the Day"
  • Adu
  • Hale
  • Matthewman
6:46
2."Your Love Is King"
  • Adu
  • Matthewman
4:38
3."Somebody Already Broke My Heart"
  • Adu
  • Matthewman
  • Hale
  • Denman
5:15
4."Cherry Pie"
  • Adu
  • Matthewman
  • Hale
  • Denman
6:06
5."Pearls"
  • Adu
  • Hale
4:47
6."Every Word"
  • Adu
  • Matthewman
  • Hale
  • Denman
4:13
7."Smooth Operator"
  • Adu
  • St. John
4:06
8."Redeye"
  • Matthewman
  • Hale
4:11
9."Jezebel"
  • Adu
  • Matthewman
6:43
10."Kiss of Life"
  • Adu
  • Matthewman
  • Hale
  • Denman
5:05
11."Slave Song"
  • Adu
  • Matthewman
  • Hale
  • Denman
4:21
12."The Sweetest Gift"
  • Adu
  • Matthewman
  • Hale
  • Denman
2:45
13."The Sweetest Taboo"
  • Adu
  • Ditcham
6:29
14."Lovers Rock"
  • Adu
  • Matthewman
  • Hale
  • Denman
4:24
15."Immigrant"
  • Adu
  • Janusz Podrazik
4:13
16."Paradise"
  • Adu
  • Matthewman
  • Hale
  • Denman
4:30
17."King of Sorrow"
  • Adu
  • Matthewman
  • Hale
  • Denman
4:51
18."No Ordinary Love"
  • Adu
  • Matthewman
5:47
19."By Your Side"
  • Adu
  • Matthewman
  • Hale
  • Denman
5:52
20."Flow"
  • Adu
  • Matthewman
  • Hale
  • Denman
5:35
21."Is It a Crime"
  • Adu
  • Matthewman
  • Hale
11:21
22."It's Only Love That Gets You Through"
  • Adu
  • Podrazik
4:01
23."Exclusive backstage footage" 7:41
24."Message to Sade" 10:16
25."King of Sorrow" (music video) 4:47
26."Black and white stills from the tour"  
Total length:138:43

Notes

  • "Slave Song" contains an excerpt from "African Race" performed by The Abyssinians and written by Donald Manning, Neville Bernard Collins and Linford Elijah Manning.[10]

Personnel

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Credits adapted from the liner notes of Lovers Live.[10][11]

Sade

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Additional musicians

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  • Ryan Waters – guitar
  • Pete Lewinson – drums
  • Karl Van Den Bossche – percussion
  • Leroy Osbourne – vocals, guitar, flute
  • Tony Momrelle – vocals

Technical

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Artwork

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  • Intro – design
  • Idea – imaging

Charts

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Certifications

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Certifications for Lovers Live
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Video
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[40] Gold 25,000*
Germany (BVMI)[41] Gold 25,000^
United States (RIAA)[9]
video
Platinum 100,000^
Album
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[42] Gold 50,000^
United States (RIAA)[43] Gold 562,000[8]

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

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Release dates and formats for Lovers Live
Region Date Format Label Ref(s)
United States 5 February 2002 CD Epic [44]
Germany 18 February 2002 Sony [45]
United Kingdom
Epic [46][47]
Japan 20 February 2002 CD Sony [48]
Germany 25 February 2002 DVD [45]
United States 26 February 2002 Epic [49]
Australia 8 March 2002 CD Sony [50]
12 April 2002 DVD [51]
Japan 29 June 2002 [52]

References

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  1. ^ "The Year in Touring 2001 – Top 25 Tours". Billboard. Vol. 113, no. 52. 29 December 2001. p. YT-4. ISSN 0006-2510 – via Google Books.
  2. ^ Schumacher-Rasmussen, Eric (15 May 2001). "India.Arie To Open Sade Tour". MTV News. Archived from the original on 29 July 2011. Retrieved 7 April 2014.
  3. ^ a b Kohlenstein, Brad. "Lovers Live – Sade". AllMusic. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
  4. ^ "Sade – Lovers Live CD Album". CD Universe. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
  5. ^ Hopkins, Tracy E. (5 February 2002). "Sade: Lovers Live". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 15 May 2009. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
  6. ^ Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian, eds. (2004). "Sade". The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). New York: Simon & Schuster. p. 712. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  7. ^ Sander, J. Victoria (14 May 2002). "Sade: Lovers Live". PopMatters. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
  8. ^ a b Caulfield, Keith (22 February 2006). "Ask Billboard: Class Acts". Billboard. Archived from the original on 4 July 2015. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
  9. ^ a b "American video certifications – Sade – Lovers Live". Recording Industry Association of America. 30 January 2003. Retrieved 30 April 2011.
  10. ^ a b Lovers Live (CD liner notes). Sade. Epic Records. 2002. 506125 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  11. ^ Lovers Live (DVD liner notes). Sade. Epic Records. 2002. 201564 9.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  12. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Sade – Lovers Live" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
  13. ^ "Ultratop.be – Sade – Lovers Live" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
  14. ^ "Ultratop.be – Sade – Lovers Live" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
  15. ^ "Albums : Top 100". Jam!. 14 February 2002. Archived from the original on 7 June 2004. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  16. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Sade – Lovers Live" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
  17. ^ "European Top 100 Albums" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 20, no. 12. 16 March 2002. p. 15. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
  18. ^ "Lescharts.com – Sade – Lovers Live". Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
  19. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Sade – Lovers Live" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  20. ^ "Top National Sellers" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 20, no. 14. 30 March 2002. p. 12. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
  21. ^ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2002. 13. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  22. ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Sade". Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  23. ^ "Italiancharts.com – Sade – Lovers Live". Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
  24. ^ シャーデーのアルバム売り上げランキング [Sade album sales ranking] (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on 31 March 2014. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
  25. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Sade – Lovers Live". Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
  26. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  27. ^ Salaverrie, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Madrid: Fundación Autor/SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  28. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Sade – Lovers Live". Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
  29. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Sade – Lovers Live". Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
  30. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  31. ^ "Sade Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  32. ^ "Sade Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  33. ^ "ARIA Top 20 DVD – Week Commencing 6th May 2002" (PDF). The ARIA Report. No. 636. 6 May 2002. p. 19. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 February 2008. Retrieved 5 December 2019 – via National Library of Australia.
  34. ^ "Archívum › Kereső – előadó/cím szerint" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved 28 March 2022. Select "dal/album cím", enter "Lovers Live" into the "Előadó/cím" search box and click "Keresés".
  35. ^ "Veckolista DVD Album – Vecka 10, 2002" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  36. ^ "Official Music Video Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  37. ^ "Sade Chart History (Music Video Sales)". Billboard. Archived from the original on 1 August 2019. Retrieved 28 March 2022.
  38. ^ "Canada's Top 200 R&B; albums of 2002". Jam!. 14 January 2003. Archived from the original on 12 October 2003. Retrieved 28 March 2022.
  39. ^ "Årslista DVD Album, 2002" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 28 March 2022.
  40. ^ "Brazilian video certifications – Sade – Lovers Live" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  41. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Sade; 'Lovers Live')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 30 April 2011.
  42. ^ Salaverrie, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (PDF) (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Madrid: Fundación Autor/SGAE. p. 963. ISBN 84-8048-639-2. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  43. ^ "American album certifications – Sade – Lovers Live". Recording Industry Association of America. 7 March 2002. Retrieved 30 April 2011.
  44. ^ "Lovers Live (Audio CD)". Amazon. United States. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
  45. ^ a b "Sade – Releases" (in German). Sony Music Entertainment Germany. Archived from the original on 3 November 2009. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
  46. ^ "Lovers Live". Amazon. United Kingdom. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
  47. ^ "Sade: Lovers Live [DVD]". Amazon. United Kingdom. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
  48. ^ ラヴァーズ・ライヴ [Lovers Live (CD)] (in Japanese). Sony Music Entertainment Japan. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
  49. ^ "Lovers Live [Video/DVD] – Sade". AllMusic. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
  50. ^ "Lovers Live – Sade (CD)". JB Hi-Fi. Archived from the original on 6 April 2014. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
  51. ^ "Lovers Live (DVD)". JB Hi-Fi. Archived from the original on 6 April 2014. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
  52. ^ ラヴァーズ・ライヴ [Lovers Live (DVD)] (in Japanese). Sony Music Entertainment Japan. Retrieved 6 April 2014.