In an unlikely move, after completing a successful series of live shows following 2001’s Lovers Rock, Sade follows with a live album from that tour. While many might doubt the success of a slow musing R&B band in a live forum, Sade’s songs come off surprisingly well, offering a different vibe than her studio work, often more warm.

The subtle grooves of the band haunt the open air and Sade’s voice, which seems to have only gained evocative power, almost seems more desperate and plaintive in a live setting. On this offering, the often cool and sedated vocalist steps out of character for the occasional bantering with a thrilled audience.

The singer’s apparent enthusiasm might be due to the timing of her Lovers Rock tour. The release of Lovers Rock marked Sade’s first album in seven years and its subsequent tour became her triumphant return to the road.

The live disc focuses much of its attention on her last studio record, featuring five of the tracks from Lovers Rock. “Sweetest Gift,” a simple acoustic ballad, is arguably more appealing here in its live setting: its crooning is more effective with an audience. The Sade penned “Slave Song” is transformed into a slower and less cluttered dub groove than its more active studio version.

In many ways, Sade’s backing band seems to galvanize many of her songs, avoiding what might be an otherwise lulling live experience. “Sweetest Taboo” gets a noticeable jolt that revitalizes the older hit.

Incarnations of many of Sade’s classic cuts appear on the album, including “Smooth Operator” and “No Ordinary Love” which also seem subtly resurrected from their stale studio confinement. “Is it a Crime,” with its deep warm bass and honey-like tempo, seems almost enough to make you take back that cheating ex-lover.

The focus on this album is of course the voice of Sade. Remarkably, the Nigerian-born former model seems to have improved her vocal capabilities, despite being out of the spotlight for many years. At 43, Sade sounds all the more heartfelt and sexual, even more so than in the past.

Seamless and sensual, Lovers Live is both a fine introduction for those unfamiliar with her work and a must-have collectors’ piece for completists. Real Sade fanatics will want to look out for her forthcoming DVD that features a complete concert of over 20 live songs.