QUOTE OF THE DAY: SFJ on Sade

"So what made Sade different? For starters, the pretty woman up front didn’t seem to give a damn about this Lothario, and was obviously twice the catch he was. We could already hear the graphite core in Sade’s voice, a grainy contralto full of air that betrays a slight ache but no agony, and values even imperfect dignity over a show of pain. (It is this quality, deeply English, that drives soul purists crazy when trying to categorize Sade.) Though her style wasn’t going to knock over anyone’s gimlet, it wasn’t necessarily dedicated to soothing, happy stories.' — Sasha Frere Jones, The New Yorker

Ache but no agony, an imperfect dignity over a show of pain. That's very good, and not necessarily something I'd given much thought to — how English Sade is.