Seal - Soul 2 (15/02/2012)
One of Seal’s most notable and recognisable moments was when his song ‘Kiss from Rose’ featured on the 90’s film ‘Batman Forever’ soundtrack, making him an instant hit worldwide. Since then he’s gone from strength to strength releasing award winning albums and adding to his notoriety with his relationship with model Heidi Klum. To mark his incredible twenty one year presence in the industry, Seal has released part two of his soul covers collection ‘Soul 2’.
A combined effort from producers Trevor Horn (Robbie Williams, Jeff Beck, Ou Est Le Swimming Pool, Pet Shop Boys) and David Forster (Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, Michael Buble), Seal’s seventh studio album delves into the romantic essence of 70’s soul.
From the get go, the album lures you into the dream like ambience of the original tunes and sets a relaxing atmosphere that lets the listener chill out and for some bring about a sense of nostalgia. The tracks that stood out for me were ‘Wishing on a Star’, ‘Let’s Stay Together’ and ‘Love Don’t Live Here Anymore’ just because they were delivered with sincerity and there was an attempt to add some flair and originality to the musical composition.
The main attraction with this album is of course Seal’s voice; it is so perfectly suited to this genre from the sultry opening on the first song to the wavering last note. Only someone like Seal could add that certain kind of silky richness that is so fundamental in pulling these songs off.
The main downside I found was that some of the tracks had been stripped back and slowed down to a pace where they had lost the liveliness of the originals. I wasn’t familiar with all the tracks and maybe that impacted the commercial value of this album for me. Other than that ‘Soul 2’ is a collection of songs that will appeal to a wide audience and will keep both Seal fans and soul lovers very happy.
Nazia Hafiz
A combined effort from producers Trevor Horn (Robbie Williams, Jeff Beck, Ou Est Le Swimming Pool, Pet Shop Boys) and David Forster (Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, Michael Buble), Seal’s seventh studio album delves into the romantic essence of 70’s soul.
From the get go, the album lures you into the dream like ambience of the original tunes and sets a relaxing atmosphere that lets the listener chill out and for some bring about a sense of nostalgia. The tracks that stood out for me were ‘Wishing on a Star’, ‘Let’s Stay Together’ and ‘Love Don’t Live Here Anymore’ just because they were delivered with sincerity and there was an attempt to add some flair and originality to the musical composition.
The main attraction with this album is of course Seal’s voice; it is so perfectly suited to this genre from the sultry opening on the first song to the wavering last note. Only someone like Seal could add that certain kind of silky richness that is so fundamental in pulling these songs off.
The main downside I found was that some of the tracks had been stripped back and slowed down to a pace where they had lost the liveliness of the originals. I wasn’t familiar with all the tracks and maybe that impacted the commercial value of this album for me. Other than that ‘Soul 2’ is a collection of songs that will appeal to a wide audience and will keep both Seal fans and soul lovers very happy.
Nazia Hafiz