In a contemporary review for '' The Village Voice '' , Robert Christgau applauded Sade 's " taste , concept , sound " , and avoidance of indulgent musicianship , arguing that these qualities enhanced the " humanitarian " themed songs . The range of both the singer 's " grainy voice " and " well-meaning songwriting " was questioned by Christgau , who found " Hang On to Your Love " and " Smooth Operator " more " warming " than " seductive " and incapable of sustaining the rest of the album . Lynn Van Matre from the '' Chicago Tribune '' deemed the record " casual cocktail-lounge elegance " , performed " with far more style than substance " . Connie Johnson of the '' Los Angeles Times '' said " there 's an earthy substance to some of the cuts -- not much substance , but enough to draw you back for another listen " , while crediting Sade for knowing how to " clamp personal style onto recycled R&B idioms and make it all look invitingly new " . Paul Lester was more enthusiastic in a retrospective review for BBC Music , crediting Sade for her ability to write " songs that were sufficiently soulful and jazzy yet poppy , funky yet easy listening , to appeal to fans of all those genres " . Paul Evans called '' Diamond Life '' a " victory of attitude " in '' The Rolling Stone Album Guide '' ( 1992 ) , writing that Sade " projects a wised-up sensuality , and the record neither creaks with the revivalism of Harry Connick nor the sterility of Simply Red , to name but two of Sade 's neo-cocktail rivals . " '' Diamond Life '' was voted the 14th best album of the year in the 1985 Pazz & Jop , an annual poll of American critics , published by '' The Village Voice '' ; " Smooth Operator " was voted 25th in the singles poll . The album also won the 1985 Brit Award for the Best British Album . The video for " Smooth Operator " , directed by Julien Temple , was nominated for two MTV Video Music Awards in 1985 , Best Female Video and Best New Artist
MTV Video Music Awards in 1985
1985 MTV Video Music Awards
Diamond Life