“Dubwise but not exactly dub, rich in ambience but not exactly ambient music.”

With three of the classic Sade albums (Promise, Diamond Life, Stronger Than Pride) recently repressed and widely available again, we thought we’d highlight a relatively unknown and underrated projected from the expanded Sade universe. Sweetback (probably named after Melvin Van Peebles’ 1971 film Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song) was an English band comprised of members of the band Sade, but not including front woman Sade Adu. The group’s members Stuart Matthewman (guitar, saxophone), Paul Denman (bass) and Andrew Hale (keyboards) came together to form the new project after Sade went on hiatus following 1994’s Love Deluxe World Tour. Their sound has been described as “dubwise but not exactly dub, rich in ambience but not exactly ambient music” with influences from a number of popular genres of the time including trip-hop, neo-soul, acid jazz, and downtempo. The members of the band themselves described their music as “global soul music.”

While the sound of the band is undeniable, a big question remains: Who could replace the distinctive contralto of Sade Adu? Instead of bringing on just one vocalist, Sweetback featured a number of high-profile guests, mostly from the United States, on their 1996 self-titled debut: Amel Larrieux (Groove Theory), Maxwell (Stuart Matthewman co-produced a few tracks on his classic Urban Hang Suite), Leroy Osbourne (Sade’s back-up vocalist), and rapper Bahamadia (Philadelphia’s queen of hip hop). Opener “Gaze” incredibly takes the Sade sound to a sort of dubwise psychedelic R&B territory with Amel Larrieux’s sultry vocals perfectly coasting along a bed of swirling dubwise textures built through piano, saxophone, and synthesizers. The vocals are entirely wordless besides the single line: “I need somebody.” A number of the tracks are instrumental, including the gorgeous “Chord,” which sounds like a track built off samples and an MPC, but is actually played live with instruments. “B2 “Arabesque” was co-produced by legendary Japanese musician, producer, and graphic designer Toshio Nakanishi of Plastics, Love T.K.O., and Major Force.

Sade would return in 2000 with Lovers Rock, which featured a more contemporary sound built on a lot of the same textures from Sweetback including deep sub bass and electronically swung hip-hop beats. True to form, Matthewman, Denman, and Hale wouldn’t release another Sweetback album until four years later in 2004. The album features Canadian singer / trumpet player Ivana Santilli. “Mountain” hits a sweet spot…