Seal
Soul

Why Seal?

Maybe because every time I tried to pin him down in a genre, I found myself discovering a song of his a few months later that proved me wrong.

Why Seal?

Because sometimes he is the best background for your day. A presence that is not intrusive, gentle, but still important. An excellent background.

Why Seal?

Because he's not pop, but he's a little more (or a little less, depending on the perspective), because he's an “intelligent” pop, I would dare to say, cultivated (forgive me). Well done.

I admit I don't know much about this singer who, as a side note, could already be envied for the lady he has by his side, a certain Heidi Klum. I have his CDs but have always listened to them inattentively. I was struck, almost stunned by Kiss From A Rose, and with this momentum, I dove into his discography searching for other similar pieces. And I tell you, I found some. But in the end, I wasn't impressed by the entire production.

Why review this CD?

Well, basically because I like it. I mean, it's not something to go wild about with every listen. But it's definitely more than appreciable. He, Seal, has a very particular voice: warm, soulful, with also a certain vocal range. The peculiarity, if you will, lies in the fact that every time he extends a note, it always seems that he won't be able to hold it, and it gives a strange sensation: almost scratchy.

"Soul," that's the name of the album, is a collection of 11 covers, songs that have made a bit of history in the music world. Tracks that, upon the first listen of the album, you try to associate with the artist who first interpreted them. And here's the peculiar thing: if we didn't like Seal, we would spend the entire album trying to play the association game, and once found, we would skip it, looking for the next one; instead, once found, you wait for the end because... damn, he's really good... and what a voice!

Soul tracks in a soul key. Tracks where what really matters is having an important voice. And Seal... he has it. Perhaps it's pointless to get into comparisons like “But I liked the original version better”: one thing is history, and another is the present.

The first single is "A Change Is Gonna Come" by Sam Cooke.

The track that struck me the most, however, is not the first but the second: "I Can't Stand the Rain", a track that, to be honest, everyone felt obliged to "cover," from Tina Turner to Seal, but which originally belonged to Ann Peebles (and a certain John Lennon said about her version that it was his favorite). This version by Seal is decidedly more rhythmic, and it's worth purchasing the album for it alone.

In third place, we have "It's a Man's, Man's, Man's World" by James Brown. Below, I present the rest of the tracklist.

04 "Knock on Wood" (Steve Cropper, Eddie Floyd)

05 "I've Been Loving You Too Long" (Jerry Butler, Otis Redding)

06 "Here I Am (Come and Take Me)" (Al Green, Teenie Hodges)

07 "If You Don't Know Me By Now" (Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff)

08 "It's Alright" (Curtis Mayfield)

09 "I'm Still in Love with You" (Green, Al Jackson, Jr., Willie Mitchell)

10 "Free" (Susaye Greene, Hank Redd, Nathan Watts, Deniece Williams)

11 "People Get Ready" (Curtis Mayfield)

Assuming that I am not a fan of Seal and that I know little about him, I will indulge in a magnification of the singer who shows us on every cover how much the male world should envy his silhouette.

The goal of the review was to instill in you, the readers, the same curiosity about the artist that this CD now, and Seal II through Kiss From A Rose, managed to do.

It's worth spending time on this album. Because, and here I repeat myself, at worst, if you're a lover of good music, using this soul collection as the background to your day or a car trip is the best. Maybe not cultivated, but relaxing... and I'll tell you... intelligent.