Smooth and sultry Sade makes a comeback

Reclusive 1980s soul jazz legend Sade could be set to make the biggest musical comeback of 2010 - and eclipse her rather less sophisticated Sony label-mate Susan Boyle in the process.
 
The Nigerian-born singer, whose full name is Helen Folasade Adu, has released only one album since 1992, but is returning to the limelight next month with her latest album Soldier of Love. It will go on sale globally on February 8 and Sony have earmarked it for "priority treatment".
 
The new album sees Sade reunited with the musicians who performed on her 1984 debut Diamond Life, which became the classic yuppie dinner party soundtrack. It catapulted her to the forefront of the 1980s soul jazz scene and spawned the singles Smooth Operator and Your Love is King.
 
But despite the success of Diamond Life and her follow-up albums - selling a total of 50m records worldwide - Sade has shunned the limelight and has lived in "self-exile", including stints in Spain and Jamaica.
 
Now 50, she remains one of the most iconic female vocalists alive - partly because of the stylish image she fostered in the fashion-conscious Eighties. The band also drew fans from the 'cooler' end of the musical scale who appreciate the trademark production values that have made Sade popular in the hip hop and dance scenes as well as with the winebar crowd.
 
With positive first reviews for the single Soldier of Love, and remixes already surfacing on the internet, Sade, as smoky and sultry as ever, looks set to inject some much-needed glamour into the music scene. ·