What makes “Sober” particularly impactful is its narrative. Lady Nade isn’t singing a song here, she’s taking you through a person’s journey, various stages of addiction and recovery to arrive at one ultimately clean. It is a story that could have been heavy or grim, but she takes an lively, warm-hearted approach, transforming pain into a message of hope.
But as she pleads for forgiveness from a family member, her promise that things are better now, no longer sounds like a plea, it sounds like the truth. “Sober” is an announcement, without stooping to fetishizing the past, Lady Nade demonstrates that she can be comfortable with a retro-tinged sound and that she also has some stories to tell from deep down. It’s music that not only sounds good, it feels good.