In an age where we learn every intimate detail of a pop star's life around the clock, we know next to nothing about Helen Folasade Adu. We know her simply as Sade, the same name of the band she has led for more than 25 years. Since the release of 'Diamond Life,' her classic 1985 multi-platinum debut, the singer-songwriter has maintained an aloof, sometimes chilly image. She's like the Mona Lisa of pop. Promo shots are close-ups of her unsmiling, beautiful face. Is she warm? Is she real?

We know her music: an incredibly smooth amalgamation of pop, soul and jazz with a marbling of funk and reggae. But even through her distinctive songs, which she mostly writes, we still know little about Sade, the woman. Lyrically, love always seems to be a battlefield.

And she carries that sentiment throughout her new CD, 'Soldier of Love,' her sixth studio album in a quarter of a century. Billboard reports the album, released last week, has claimed No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, selling 502,000 copies. It's the second No. 1 effort for Sade, the first coming in 1986 with 'Promise.'