Promise – Power Plant and Miraval, the quiet sequel

Power Plant and Miraval sequel

Promise arrived on 4 November 1985 in the UK on Epic, two weeks later in the US on Portrait. It was Sade’s second album, cut between February and August 1985 with the same core team as Diamond Life: Robin Millar, Mike Pela and Ben Rogan, the band co-producing. Most of the work happened at Power Plant in London; a two-week stretch at Studio Miraval in Provence gave the SSL desk a different room. The title comes from a letter by Adu’s father, who wrote about the “promise of hope” while recovering from cancer.

The set opens with Is It a Crime?, sax and bass already together, then moves into The Sweetest Taboo, co-written with percussionist Martin Ditcham. War of the Hearts, Jezebel and Fear stay quiet and keep the stories specific. Never as Good as the First Time and the closing Maureen show how far the quartet could take a rhythm without filling every second. Dave Early and Ditcham handle drums and percussion. Terry Bailey and Pete Beachill add brass where Millar leaves a gap. Tracks were largely recorded live, with AMS sampling used sparingly.

Promise debuted at No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart and held for two weeks; it also topped the Billboard 200. BPI platinum arrived within a fortnight. The RIAA later certified it four-times platinum in the United States. Lead single The Sweetest Taboo reached No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 1 on the Adult Contemporary chart. Is It a Crime? and Never as Good as the First Time followed. Brian Ward’s video for The Sweetest Taboo mixed a New York loft with Andalusian desert, the same Spain locations that fed the next clip.