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Product Details
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Track Listings
| 1. Let Me Roll |
| 2. Get It Together |
| 3. Love's Divine |
| 4. Waiting For You |
| 5. My Vision |
| 6. Don't Make Me Wait |
| 7. Touch |
| 8. Where There's Gold |
| 9. Loneliest Star |
| 10. Heavenly...(Good Feeling) |
| 11. Tinsel Town |
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
After five years and one do-over later, Seal presents a fourth album that finds the singer growing with his audience. The disc’s opener, "Get It Together," melds a quiet "live" moment into a horn-and-string disco number, setting the stage for the rest of the disc, which is largely a nod to Detroit- and Philly-R&B. The British-born musician pulls it off. His rasp and emotive, positive vocals are well suited for the retro stylings he attempts. "Waiting for You" will flood the dance floor, and he’s unafraid to dig deep for the ballads--Marvin Gaye would approve. The funk is real, but saddled with a pop safety net, and the upbeat tracks need a helping hand from a good remixer before they are as compelling as his seminal singles "Killer" and "Crazy." Seal never goes all out in any direction and this coolness, combined with Trevor Horn’s perfectionist production, plants the album inescapably in the realm of adult contemporary (although this is as good as adult contemporary gets). On "Let Me Roll" Seal salutes the album’s influences by proclaiming he’s "not too proud to beg." If that were actually true, the songs would have been that much better for it. --Beth Massa
Product Description
Seal's first album since 1998, and the third of his career to be self-titled, is the singer-songwriter's most sophisticated masterpiece to date. 12 tracks packaged in digipak format. Produced by Trevor Horn. Warner. 2003.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
28 of 30 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Seal IV is growing on me. When I read that Trevor Horn and Seal would be working together again, I waited with anticipation, and had hoped of the same magic wrought from Seal's landmark debut. Seal I was/is one of my top 5 works of all time. Unlike some others, I love the rich textured danceable production often found on Trevor Horn produced tracts.
Which brings us to the present. The rich textures are definitely in effect on Seal IV, but the sound has matured. At first I was hoping for the energy of "Crazy" (My personal theme song if I decide to become a super hero), or the raw power of "Killer," but then it dawned on me that I have aged and so has Seal. The sound, the words, and the music have aged in a graceful soulness that slowly seeps into your musical psyche as you listen to this CD. I no longer want to just groove to Seal, I am now listening. Instead of pumping this through my tower speaks, I'm grabbing my headphones, dimming the lights, and sipping something smooth and mellow.
Cuts that I'm looping over and over again are: "Loneliest Star" (my favorite cut), "Heavenly...(Good Feeling)", "Tinsel Town", "Touch", and "Love's Divine." Not to say the other songs aren't impressive, but these five touch me deeper than the other cuts. I'm sure we all have songs that move us in a way, and these are mine. Seal fans will be happy with this one. New Seal fans will want to explore some of his previous works after listening to this new production. Add Seal IV to your collection.
Which brings us to the present. The rich textures are definitely in effect on Seal IV, but the sound has matured. At first I was hoping for the energy of "Crazy" (My personal theme song if I decide to become a super hero), or the raw power of "Killer," but then it dawned on me that I have aged and so has Seal. The sound, the words, and the music have aged in a graceful soulness that slowly seeps into your musical psyche as you listen to this CD. I no longer want to just groove to Seal, I am now listening. Instead of pumping this through my tower speaks, I'm grabbing my headphones, dimming the lights, and sipping something smooth and mellow.
Cuts that I'm looping over and over again are: "Loneliest Star" (my favorite cut), "Heavenly...(Good Feeling)", "Tinsel Town", "Touch", and "Love's Divine." Not to say the other songs aren't impressive, but these five touch me deeper than the other cuts. I'm sure we all have songs that move us in a way, and these are mine. Seal fans will be happy with this one. New Seal fans will want to explore some of his previous works after listening to this new production. Add Seal IV to your collection.
22 of 23 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Let's be honest: Seal could sing the phonebook and we'd all still listen. His voice is soulful, distinctive, and a welcome breath on the radio from the usual vocal gymnastics and overblown production. True, Seal IV isn't as complete as his first two CDs or as moody yet atmospheric as Human Beings. But this is still great Seal. The Motown sound suits his smoky vocals well. The 1-2-3 punch of Get It Together, Love's Divine, and Waiting For You is a promising beginning. The CD does seem to lag toward the middle, while remaining enjoyable. Luckily, Heavenly is reminiscient of Violet (one of my favorite Seal tracks) and Tinsel Town ends the CD on a smooth note. Not innovative Seal. But well worth the wait, like an old friend coming home.
22 of 24 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Like millions of others, I was seduced by "Kiss From a Rose", but otherwise had not been a follower of Seal's career until hearing this CD, and wow! These songs just boil with sweat and conviction. None of them have the melodic complexity of "Rose", with its Beethovenesque shifting of major and minor, but many are equally memorable and may prove more durable. The songs of "Seal IV" range from tough and gritty ("Waiting for You", "Let Me Roll"), to exquisitely romantic ("Touch", "Love's Divine", "Tinsel Town"). Seal draws from the American R&B tradition ("Get It Together"), and also from reggae ("Where There's Gold") but some songs are impossible to classify, and seem to just well up from inside him, like "My Vision" and "Heavenly". My two favorites are almost polar opposites of each other, the soul-shouting "Let Me Roll" and the delicate, aching "Touch", tracks 6 and 7. Although Seal IV is expertly mastered, wrapping Seal's sound with polished competence, Seal himself is hot, sizzling right through his packaging to emerge as a passionate performer who puts his brains, heart and guts into every song. I'm not sure who Seal's core audience is, but this is a major achievement and I hope it gets the recognition it deserves.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Scratch!!
I bought this CD for my friend and when she finally decide to listen to it, it was scratch,so now we are back on amazon to purchase another one.:(
Published 4 months ago by Sincere
Great listening
For those of you who like the artist Seal, here is a CD you are sure to enjoy. I believe this is the only CD he has made that has the song "Touch". One of my favorite songs.
Published 11 months ago by bmgecan
Seal 4 hits the spot!
This is one of the strongest albums Seal has ever made as it fuses his powerful vocals with a great tracklisting and excellent production from Trevor Horn all into one very... Read more
Published 17 months ago by Michael
One of my all-time favorite albums
I listen to pretty much everything but country. My main reason for liking this cd are the lyrics. Seal's voice and the lyrics are outstanding. Read more
Published 18 months ago by pilarptld
Perfection
I pulled this out this year and began playing it again. It's even better than I remembered. I love this album from beginning to end. Read more
Published 19 months ago by J. O'steen
better with age
I got this album when it came out as I've been a fan of Seal since 1991, when his first album came out. Read more
Published 23 months ago by Herbert Drury
We can't stop listening.
This is the best CD of Seal. I had it before but somebody stole it from me. It is that good.
Published on March 8, 2010 by Mari
Can't go wrong with the one of kind voice of Seal!!!!!
Every since his self titled CD released in 1994. I have been a huge unwavering fan of Seal's and this CD definately stood up to my high expectations. Read more
Published on January 24, 2010 by K. Morris
grew on me
Got this album when it first came out. Feel it's a pretty good mix of the "old school" stuff from the first two records. Read more
Published on July 16, 2009 by Ben Vaughn
I still get chills when I listen to this CD
I've had Seal IV since a few days after the release in 2003 and to this day, I still get chills when I dust it off and play it. Read more
Published on August 21, 2008 by Janice Smith
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