“As God is my witness/ Timing was my mistress…”
Sade let her love of Wu-Tang (Raekwon in particular) be known last year, but that still hadn’t prompted the revered songstress from adding some Hip-Hop collaborations to her resume. Until now, that is. Just a week after being confirmed on her Ultimate Collection, Jay-Z’s guest appearance on Sade’s remix of “The Moon and The Sky” is here.
Drake producer Noah ”40″ Shebib is responsible for the new beat. Overall, the sound is pretty generic. Gone is the organic vibe the original possessed from its guitar licks and wind instruments. Sade’s vocals are missing some vibrancy due to them being slowed down to fit 40′s dirge-like pace. Jay delivers a cogent verse of reflection on a love lost. For him, he can justify his misstep in losing his love by the fact she’s been blessed with a family. Still, there’s always that nagging “what-if.”
The “what-if” fans will have on this track is what could have been if Sade, Jay and 40 actually had the opportunity to build their song face to face from an organic studio session. Hopefully this is an indicator that Ms. Adu will extend her talents further into the world of Hip-Hop.
TBH I was happy with her not collaborating with rappers, I dont wanna see her stepping into the hip hop world… Shes done A remix with Manio and S dot, hope it stays at that… Jay had some good lyrics but I prefer her purer… She will lose alot of middle aged adults who dont like hip hop who actually BUY music… Sade is amazing, hope She stays away from rap
Not hating, I love hip hop, just somethings are better separate, like women and your mobile phone lol
[...] Perhaps no voice in music history encapsulates the pain, ecstasy and searing intimacy that love brings. As the last of four new songs off her Ultimate Collection, “I Would Have Never Guessed” is also my favorite. It’s just the strength on her voice and ivory keys of the piano that compose this track. This allows Sade’s voice and lyrics to stand out much more than say the vocals on her Jay-Z collaboration. [...]