Seal - Seal IV

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Music reviews of Seal IV

Music Review: This album gets my "Seal" of approval.
Rating: 5 Stars

The wait for Seal's newest album in nearly five years is now over! Okay, I'll stop repeating myself.

I have very vivid memories of when I got excited about his last album "Human Being" coming out in the cold morning of late 1998 and while the album slightly disappointed me at first, it gradually grew on me to become another great album and was a big change in style from his previous two albums. The same applies to "Seal 2003" but it grew faster than the last one and is another excellent offering from one of my favorite artists of all time. I bought this album on it's release date of 9-9-2003 and have not regretted it one bit since then.

It is said that this is a return to the styles that defined his first two albums. I agree to a limited degree that it is so but at the same time, I have to disagree in other ways. The mood of this CD is in ways, very much in the vein of the 1991 and 1994 self-titled LPs but instead has fewer atmospherics and a more raw production with a strong sense of Motown soul thrown in but the result is just amazing. In fact, I have to say that "Seal IV" is completely different from any of its predecessors and stands out on its own. In a way, I felt a bit disappointed at first when I listened to this album. Perhaps I was looking for something that took my breath away the way "Violet" did on his debut album or the teardrops that fell from listening to "Prayer for the Dying" at first listen. It did not happen here but as I gave this CD better listens over time, it has definitely grown on me to become a great follow up to his vastly overlooked "Human Being" album.

It's just amazing how Seal's incredible voice and lyrics suit almost any genre of music that he has tackled on his music over the years, dance on "Seal 1991", ambient soul/pop on "Seal 1994", and trip-hop soul on "Human Being", it's just awesome and this album is another shining example of his awesome talents. To all those who seem to have low expectations, do not try to compare this album to his first two like the critics have done. Instead, prepare for a totally different vibe altogether from anything he has done as "Seal IV" is exactly that: An album all on its own. This album needs a good amount of patience to enjoy but in the end, it's a very rewarding listen and another keeper.

The whole album is from good to excellent even if a song or two doesn't rank up with the rest. "Get It Together" is an astounding opener with a strong spicing of Detroit Motown soul blended with disco dance to create a really great song. This is one of the best songs on this album and is destined to become another classic in the future. Seal breaks into some new territory on "Where There's Gold" by incorporating some reggae elements into his rich music style and the result is excellent. "My Vision" harkens back to the edgier days of 1994 with atmospherics and energy that would make it fit very well on that life-altering second LP of his. The album closes on a beautiful note with the delicate and intimate ballad "Tinsel Town" with a quiet and quiet storm/urban mood and then the one minute reprise of "Get It Together".

"Seal IV" may not be the thrilling ride that his debut album was nor the adventurous endeavor that his 1994 sophomore album was but it sure makes a great escape from what's being promoted by MTV and all these corporate music folk. If you are expecting a sequel to something like his debut or second album, you might be thrown off a little bit. This album is different in many ways from any of his other albums.

The only thing I have against this album is not the album itself but the absolutely atrocious packaging. The CD comes in the worst possible packaging possible, made of paper and is the kind where you slip the CD in and out through a pocket-like insert. Perhaps it's good because it's `greener' but it is the flimsiest CD packaging possible and is impossible to replace when it falls apart. I still have no idea why they still package CDs in this idiotic design. I think it would've been better packing the CD in a metal CD case edition similar to the Extreme DVD edition of the Terminator 2: Judgement Day movie.

In spite of the horrible packaging design, this album is absolutely great and another must-have album.Let's just hope we don't have to wait another five years for another great album from Seal. I wish he hadn't scrap his "Togetherland" album and instead, released that album alongside this one as it would be like two Seal albums being released at once. Oh well. For what it turned out to be, "Seal IV" is a welcome return for Seal. Please buy this album. It might not strike you at first listen the way his first two albums did but will grow very quickly to become another stunning work of art from one of the best singers on the planet today. You won't be disappointed in the long run. I can almost guarantee it.

Description of Seal IV

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