Sade: Promise LP (gatefold). Check video

Released 16 November 1985 (UK)

Recorded
Power Plant Studios (London, England)
Studio Miraval (Le Val, Var, France)
Genre Soul, R&B, jazz
Length 54:15

Producer Sade Adu, Robin Millar, Ben Rogan, Mike Pela

Promise is the second studio album by the English group Sade. It was released in the United Kingdom on 16 November 1985 by Epic Records and in the United States on 21 December 1985 by Portrait Records.
The major hits from this album were "The Sweetest Taboo" and "Never as Good as the First Time", which reached number five and number twenty on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, respectively. Also, "Is It a Crime" was released as a single. While not as initially successful as their debut album, Diamond Life, Promise became the band's first album to top the albums chart in both the United Kingdom and the United States, helped by an appearance at Live Aid and a cameo in the film Absolute Beginners.
The title Promise comes from a letter from Sade Adu's father where he refers to the "promise of hope" to recover from cancer.

"Is It a Crime" – 6:18
"The Sweetest Taboo" – 4:35
"War of the Hearts" – 6:47
"Jezebel" – 5:30
"Mr Wrong" – 2:50
"Never as Good as the First Time" – 5:01
"Fear" – 4:05
"Tar Baby" – 3:58
"Maureen" – 4:22

Personnel:
Sade Adu – vocals, producer, arranger
Andrew Hale – keyboards
Stuart Matthewman – guitar, saxophone
Paul S. Denman – bass
Terry Bailey – trumpet
Lee Barrett – management
Pete Beachill – trombone
Carlos Bonnell – guitar
Pete Brown – assistant engineer
Tom Coyne – remastering
Martin Ditcham – percussion
Simon Driscoll – assistant engineer
Dave Early – drums, percussion
Nick Ingman – arranger
Jake Jacas – vocals
Phil Legg – assistant engineer
Robin Millar – producer
Mike Pela – producer, engineer, mixing, production engineer, strings
Ben Rogan – producer
Graham Smith – design
Toshi Yajima – photography

Charts
Peak positions
Chart (1985/1986) Peak
position
Austrian Albums Chart[1] 6
German Albums Chart[2] 2
Norwegian Albums Chart[1] 6
Swedish Albums Chart[1] 4
Swiss Albums Chart[1] 1
UK Albums Chart[3] 1
U.S. Billboard 200[4] 1
U.S. Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums[4] 1
U.S. Top Jazz Albums[4] 4

Certifications
Country Certification
Canada 2× platinum[5]
Finland Platinum[6]
France Platinum[7]
Germany Platinum[8]
United Kingdom 2× platinum[9]
United States 4× platinum[10]