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Seal - Soul
- Soul is Seal’s sixth studio album and each song is classic. Seal doesn’t re-invent the wheel with these songs, but he puts all his heart into each track. The problem with the album is not Seal’s voice, but the arrangement backing him. David Foster made some choices that don’t complement the raspy sound of Seal.
The songs are all classics, so there is a lot to live up to. The best tracks on this album are “Free,” “People Get Ready,” and “It’s a Mans Mans World.” Seal emotes in each of these tracks and these are all worthy of being called Soul. “Free” connects back to the days of when Seal covered “Fly Like an Eagle.” It has a very similar sound, that quintessential Seal. Since “Free” was originally sung by Deniece Williams, Seal’s version is a fresh take on the song.
I have a problem with the arrangements of “Stand By Me,” “A Change Is Gonna Come,” and “Here I Am (Come and Take Me).” Ironically, the songs I do like contain less production on them then the ones I mentioned. I’m going to blame David Foster, since he’s the producer, for the lackluster arrangement. There are slight tinges of good arrangement here and there where it channels the likes of Motown, or even the arrangements of the band, Chicago.
The balance between karaoke arrangements and Seal’s execution leads to a middle ground album. It is a great album for listening to while reading a book, or enjoying a cup of coffee in the morning, but it also has a slight grocery sound to it. I wish that Seal went and had more than 12 tracks on this album. More tracks may have also tipped the scale between over-production and under-production. This album only hits the surface of a vault of classic soul songs and leaves me longing for more. Getting past the slightly elevator arrangements, Seal’s performance is powerful without being overbearing or overproduced.
Reviewer: Michael Pascua
new
Reviewer's Rating: 7.5
Reader's Rating: 4.00
Reader's Votes: 1
Added: 25-Nov-2008
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