Amazing, Soulful, SEAL

I have to say that Seal is one of my favorite artists and has been since his "Crazy" days back in the 90's. I think most people know him for that song and of course "Kiss From a Rose" which was featured on the Batman Forever soundtrack (1995). I like the smokiness in his voice, he gives every song a richness and a texture that makes him stand apart from so many other male singers. I also really like that he breaks out of the box of what is "typical" for a black singer to sing. To me there is just something about him that transcends genres making him incredibly diverse. His two latest albums display that diversity, both artistically as well vocally. I own System (2007) and have listened to Soul (2008). System is a dance album with thumping bass lines and electronic sounds while Soul features 12 covers of soul songs from the 50's by artists like Sam Cooke and Otis Redding. I think both are fantastic and between the two there is something for everyone. Below are some reviews by Barnesandnoble.com:


Superstar Seal returns to his roots in beat-heavy dance music with System. Fans of such groundbreaking tracks as "Killer" and "Crazy" will be salivating over the long-awaited release, which pairs the vocalist with producer Stuart Price, who oversaw Madonna's electrifying Confessions on a Dance Floor, and whose dance-music bonafides go back to underground hits he recorded as Les Rhythmes Digitales and Jacques LuCont. Together, the intercontinental pair piece together a primarily up-tempo record, as evidenced from the single "Amazing." Fans of Seal's crooner side need not despair, however, as he's penned two tracks reflective of his domestic bliss with model Heidi Klum -- "Wedding Day" and "Rolling." Four years since his last hit album, Seal's got his System down to a science.




A great voice singing great songs recorded by a great producer. That is Soul, the sixth studio album from Grammy-winning recording artist, Seal. Each song is a soul classic, from Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come," Ben E. King's "Stand By Me" and Ann Peebles' "I Can't Stand the Rain" to Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes' "If You Don't Know Me By Now" and Otis Redding's "I've Been Loving You Too Long." Produced by David Foster, Soul is the perfect coming together of man, material and moment.

Take a look at these videos:
"Amazing" - from System


"A Change is Gonna Come" - from Soul