Stronger Than Pride is the third studio album by English band Sade, released by Epic Records in the United Kingdom on 3 May 1988 and in the United States on 10 May 1988. Stronger Than Pride was the band's first album to be self-produced. The album spawned five singles and was a commercial success, achieving top-10 chart peaks in several countries worldwide.

Development Around the time Stronger Than Pride was released, Sade Adu commented on its production: "I wanted it to be more basic and less embellished, with the quiet songs quieter and the harder songs harder." Speaking to The New York Times, she added, "I wanted a sound that was empty and hollow so that you would have the voice just coming at you."

Songwriting sessions for the album happened in Spain and London, and then recording sessions took place in France and the Bahamas over the course of a year. Stuart Matthewman, the band's guitarist and saxophonist, said Stronger Than Pride was the first time Sade composed songs piecemeal and not as a collective. Sade self-produced the album following collaborator Robin Millar going blind amidst the recording of the band's previous album Promise (1985).

Composition Pitchfork writer Stephen Kearse noted "while Sade doesn't reinvent itself on Stronger Than Pride, it does unwind." Rolling Stones Rob Tannenbaum described the album's music as a mixture of "brisk urban tracks" and "acoustic material inspired by Brazilian bossa nova". Track one, "Love Is Stronger Than Pride", features keys, percussion, and flutes. The drumless "Haunt Me", track four, has been described as "lush" and "amorphous". "Keep Looking" and "Give It Up", tracks six and eight, are groove-driven songs.

Critical reception

Los Angeles Times critic Kristine McKenna wrote, "The nine songs on Stronger Than Pride add up to one long plea of desire, and as the album makes its way up the charts—as it surely will—armies of love-struck men will no doubt dream of losing themselves in Sade's quiet storm of passion." Robert Christgau penned a mixed review in The Village Voice, saying, "I'm glad this self-made aristocrat has a human side, but I prefer her image: now that she's singing billets-doux, she's even further from rewarding the concentration she warrants than she used to be. Touching your beloved with a few true cliches is hard enough. For an audience you have to come up with something that doesn't fade into the background like the new age jazz she went pop with."

In a retrospective review, AllMusic's Ron Wynn commented that "Sade demonstrated some intensity and fire on her third release. Whether that was just an attempt to change the pace a bit or a genuine new direction, she had more animation in her delivery on such songs as 'Haunt Me,' 'Give It Up,' and the hit 'Paradise.' Not that she was suddenly singing in a soulful or bluesy manner; rather, Sade's dry and introspective tone now had a little more edge, and the lyrics were ironic as well as reflective."

In 2018, Pitchfork placed Stronger Than Pride at number 37 on its list of "The 200 Best Albums of the 1980s".

Track listing

Personnel Credits adapted from the liner notes of Stronger Than Pride.

Sade Stuart Matthewman – guitars, saxophone Sade Adu – vocals Andrew Hale – keyboards Paul S. Denman – bass Sade – arrangements

Additional personnel Leroy Osbourne – vocals Martin Ditcham – drums, percussion James McMillan – trumpet Jake Jacas – trombone Gordon Hunte – guitar Nick Ingman – string arrangements Gavyn Wright – solo violin

Technical Sade – production Mike Pela – engineering, co-production Ben Rogan – engineering, co-production Melanie West – engineering assistance Vince McCartney – engineering assistance Franck Segarra – engineering assistance Olivier de Bosson – engineering assistance Alain Lubrano – engineering assistance Jean-Christophe Vareille – engineering assistance Herb Powers Jr. – mastering at Frankford/Wayne Mastering Labs (New York City)

Artwork Levon Parian – cover photograph Toshi Yajima – inner photograph Graham Smith – design

Charts

Weekly charts + Weekly chart performance for Stronger Than Pride Chart (1988) Peakposition Australian Albums (Australian Music Report) 11 European Albums (Music & Media) 1 Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista) 3 French Albums (IFOP) 4 Italian Albums (Musica e dischi) 1 Japanese Albums (Oricon) 8 Spanish Albums (AFYVE) 9

+ 2024 weekly chart performance for Stronger Than Pride Chart (2024) Peakposition

Year-end charts + Year-end chart performance for Stronger Than Pride Chart (1988) Position Australian Albums (Australian Music Report) 62 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) 18 Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM) 46 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) 22 European Albums (Music & Media) 8 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) 17 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) 17 UK Albums (Gallup) 51 US Billboard 200 37 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard) 26

Certifications

See also List of European number-one hits of 1988

References