Seal - Seal IV
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Free Music Notes for Seal IV
Free Music Review: A master marred by lesser genius
Hit: 4 Stars
Seal soars back onto the charts with an album that does its best to dip into the modern bank of appeal Seal has largely ignored since the success of his first album.
Seal I mined the beatmeister riffs populating the pop scene. The album was a smash, but a decade later sounds dated and out of place. There's a reason the album has always translated better to live performance, and best to acoustic renderings.
Seal II was a medeival endeavor, with Gregorian trappings, sacred references, live orchestral accompaniment, a raspy vocal prowess the pop world hadn't heard since the heydey of Pat Benetar.
Human Being, Seal's largely ignored masterpiece, was a glimpse of Seal at his purest and most vulnerable. The previous albums were smart but vague odes to lovelorn sentiments and optimism, touching songs of tears and triumph written for the masses. Human Being offered the clearest glimpse of Seal's musical vibes without the overblown, epic production Trevor Horn uses to camaflouge the songs. The album was a commercial flop. The stripped down sound and soul bare sentiments disoriented and dispersed the audience.
Seal retreated, regrouped, reenlisted Trevor Horn, suped up the sound and cooled down the soul searching. Five years later he emerged with Seal IV.
The return to eponymous titling might have signaled a return to classic form. What we get is an album largely mired by a calculated attempt at success. Seal has always been better than his adult contemporary peers, and he seemed to be quietly, humbly aware of that fact, turning adult contemporary into a style that didn't translate into boringly inoffensive but maturely modern. Seal IV feels far too much like he's forgotten how good he is, like he bought into the has-been myth that inevitably marred him after the minimal sales of Human Being. The songs, for the most part, fall into the "good but not great" ranking. There's way too much production going on with far too little brass behind it. "Let Me Roll" smacks of "Jenny From the Block". The song is good, and doesn't ring as hollow as the big-bottomed diva's anthem (Seal actually spent time on the street; he wrote "Kiss From a Rose" living in an abandoned warehouse), but with two multiplatinum albums behind you and another climbing the charts, a line like "ain't got no credit cards to feed you now/just heart and soul" rings less than true.
Now that the cons are out of the way, let's get to the pros.
"Don't Make Me Wait" is a piano ballad so effectively beefed up by Trevor Horn's exagerrated orchestration, it's enough to forgive him his otherwise standard of excess.
"Touch" is probably destined to be Seal's most underrated ballad. The chorus is a spine-tingler strangely reminiscent of Journey's "Open Arms".
"Waiting For You" and "My Vision" are deliberate attempts to get people to the dance floor. The fantastic fact is: they work.
"Loneliest Star" is a simplified, understated anthem, the bare minimum arrangement of Seal, a bass, a dreamy beat, and subtle orchestral flares. The song is a delicate anthem of defiance -- a first for Seal -- as he sings "I'm free/and I'm young/I'm the loneliest star from the sun".
"Heavenly...(Good Feeling)" is, bar none, the best song Seal has released. Ever. The slow segue, the dramatic build, the pulsing bass line, the haunting vocal delivery -- this is the rare gem of a song that's worth the album purchase price alone.
Ultimately, the album is a watered down stew, a master marred by broad strokes of lesser genius, but with enough meat bubbling in the broth to satisfy the quality-music-starved appetite.
Free Music Review: Great voice
Hit: 4 Stars
This is a wonderful album. SEAL has an amazing talent and a great voice. Nice selection of songs and wonderful arrangements. Highly recommended!Free Music Review: SEAL IV Just keeps getting better and better!
Hit: 5 Stars
Seal has risen above himself in this project. Every lyric comes from his heart and soul. This is the first Seal "album" I have ever purchased and I am so glad I did. The more I hear it, the more I "hear" it! It is spiritually uplifting in addition to some get up and dance tunes. It really shows the many facets of this amazing man. I have a deeper respect for his music now and am looking forward to looking back at his prior efforts. As one reviewer put it, listen to it with the lights OFF! Put on the headphones and take a magical tour with this wonderfully produced CD. Seal has a way of getting to the heart of the matter without gimmicks or going over the top. May his next effort be just as wonderful. Job well done, Seal! I applaud you and all those who worked on this project.Free Music Review: Seal Does It Again
Hit: 5 Stars
It seems that anything Seal sings is destined to be good, and IV is no different. Like his three previous albums the music is top quality, dominated by Seal's powerful voice. The cuts vary from up-tempo R&B to soft ballads. This album is right in the middle of Seal's ability, and although he doesn't reach to try something radically new it is still a great listen. From the opening notes of piano and Seal's voice on "Get It Together" it is easy to hear this album is worthwhile. Starting with the upbeat dance feel tune of vocal gymnastics, Seal rushes back to the scene. "My Vision" is classic Seal letting his voice carry the beginning of the tune, as the accompaniment is barely noticeable before they jump in with force. The music experiments with different levels of intensity all held together by Seal's voice. He gets back into more R&B sounds with "Let Me Roll." His slow stuff is good too, but how could it not be with a voice like his. "Don't Make Me Wait" is soft yet powerful, and "Love's Divine" follows suit.
Let's face it, we buy Seal albums for his voice. His is one of the best in the business, and even if he played the same music over and over and only changed how he sang, we'd buy it too. The music is the canvas on which he uses his voice to paint vivid pictures of soul and feeling. If you're a Seal fan, this album is definitely worth it.
Free Music Review: Feels a bit incomplete
Hit: 3 Stars
Seal's 4th album "Seal IV" is his first since "Human Beeing" in 1998 but it's far from as good as previous albums. He and longtime collaborator Trevor Horn desperately try to make miracles of a album that never reaches above it's potential. Seal's somehow raspy voice is always pleasant to listen to but none of the songs here comes close to classics such as "Prayer For The Dying" "Kiss From a Rose" or "Crazy". They have also tried to make a new sound, a soulish motown sound, which doesn't suit the image of true Seal music. This album is far from bad, with many decent songs like the catchy disco influented "Get it Together" the ballad "Lover's Devine" and up-tempo "My Vision". The sound of many songs are great, but the lyrics fall plain. There aren't songs with magical hooks either. I would have like remixes on a few songs. The potential is there but it Feels a bit incomplete and messy. listen before buying.