Dream Soldier is the fourth album by British soul singer-songwriter Des'ree. It was released on 31 March 2003 on the Sony Soho Square record label, and features the UK top 75 single "It's Okay". For sixteen years, it was the last studio album released by Des'ree, with 2019's A Love Story marking her return to music. Dream Soldier was her only studio album to be released in the 2000s.
Dream Soldier peaked at number 77 on the Swiss Hitparade.[1] Following this album's lukewarm commercial response, she was soon dropped by Sony, her label. Des'ree didn't release any new music until 2019.[2]
Jon O'Brien of Allmusic claimed, "Despite a string of inspirational, transatlantic '90s hit singles and a deep sensual voice which stood up to comparisons with the likes of Anita Baker and Roberta Flack, South London vocalist Des'ree had become more renowned for her much-maligned "ghost, most, toast" rhymes of "Life" than her melodic soul-pop sound by the time of her fourth album, Dream Soldier. Five years on from 1998's Supernatural, the Brit Award-winner certainly hadn't let the constant flack deter her from pursuing her rather innocent, nursery rhyme-esque lyrical stance...Although Dream Soldier may descend into pleasant background music territory, it's still a welcome if sometimes slightly awkward return from the artist with the sunniest disposition in pop."[3]
Dorian Lynskey of The Guardian disdainfully wrote "No matter what the past decade has done to the pop landscape, Des'ree has continued to produce one album of platitudinous, comfort-blanket soul after another. You can't fault her for consistency. You can, however, fault her for making terrible records such as Dream Soldier.[4]
Singles
Due to the poor commercial performance of the album, only one single was released from Dream Soldier. "It's Okay", which featured a radio mix by Stargate, was released on 24 March 2003,[5] peaking at number 19 on the UK R&B Singles Chart,[6] and number 69 on the official UK singles chart.[7] The music video, directed by Jake Nava, was shot in London's Notting Hill. The single did not chart in the United States.
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