Customer Reviews

Seal

5 star:		(38)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

There are quite a good number of fantastic debut albums that have always been the best album by a lot of artists but to me, Seal's self-titled debut album is arguably the best debut album by any artist in my opinion. Released in 1991, this album pushed the boundaries of dance/pop/soul and even some hip hop and resulted in what I consider the most innovative, sophisticated dance album ever made and this album is fighting head to head against it's 1994 follow-up oddly also entitled "Seal" as Seal's strongest collection of music. It's still impossible to believe that this album was actually released in 1991 as every song is so many years ahead of it's time and this album hasn't dated one bit even in 2003! Talent has become exceedingly rare these days but even back in 1991 when talent and music was far better, Seal's debut stood so many miles above all other albums around this time for many reasons: It's blend of dance, rock, and pop perfectly suits the mainstream crowd yet at the same time, it also has the maturity and brilliance that makes it last all the way to this very day. This album has defined a long period in my life from 1992 onwards. This album stands out in so many ways from any other album from this time and even from his other albums. One reason is its rich atmospheric mood; another is its urban dance vibe, and just the general mood of this album: Dark, moody, yet highly energetic and edgy.

"The Beginning" is the most appropriate title for the opening track on this album. This is a fabulous blend of dance, techno, pop, and soul with a slightly orchestral sound to it and aggressive driving rhythm. "Deep Water" is like two songs in one. The first half is a mellow slightly country-oriented number but odd changes occur in the middle and the song morphs into an odd but highly danceable song. Many are familiar with it but who can ever forget the haunting ambience of the U.K. number one hit "Crazy" with its driving rhythm, aggressive bass, dark stormy mood, and edgy production? There are so many awesome things about this incredible single that I just can't put any words into how astounding this song really is to do it any justice. Seal reached an early peak in his music with this awesome single and it was what made me a fan of his since then. If you are driving along a freeway in Chicago approaching downtown at full speed (without going over the speed limit of course!), put this song on at full volume and prepare for the musical experience of the year! Few songs have so much power like "Crazy" does. Even though "Crazy" is likely one of the strongest tracks on the CD, the other tracks on this album should not be lost in that song's shadow as every one is worth noting but some especially deserve the utmost listening. The other major hit from this album is the Adamski produced "Killer" which brought Seal into the spotlight with his awesome voice and the songs electrifying mood. Both "Crazy" and "Killer" got all the recognition that they deserved and are still very popular on the radio today. "Whirlpool" is acoustic ambient ecstacy with it's cloudy evening and laid back atmospherics and it's urban nighttime mood. The soulful, jazzy vibe of the song is impossible to resist being pulled into. I don't know what it is about this song but it makes me cry with positivitsm and joy. "Future Love Paradise" is a scorching rock number with a very atmospheric tone with a dark cloudy dreaminess to it and the result is another excellent song."Wild" is a wild classic with a very raw production to it and a very live sound to it. The chord changes are just awesome. "Show Me" is a very hauntingly beautiful ballad with a very dreamy atmosphere like the feel of the sun breaking through the clouds. The dark blue glowing magnum opus of this album is the final closer "Violet", the best song on the album besides "Crazy". This is a haunting, dark cloud ambient, and highly soulful mid-tempo ballad with small amounts of electronica and electronic beats and also if you haven't noticed, the ambient keyboards are courtesy of blossoming New Age Musician Mars Lasar who would go on to create some of the best New Age albums of all time such as "The Eleventh Hour" and "11:02" and the approaching atmospheres of those albums are quite noticeable on this track but let's not change the subject of this review. Play this song on a rainy evening when you're alone and just be prepared for a waterfall of tears. The beauty of "Violet" did just that for me. "Violet" is this good! The ending might sound like a sad ending with its mournful outro but it was just the ending of the first chapter and the beginning of the next one.

Seal's albums have generally been few and far between since this album came out but every one of them including his latest are all excellent albums and the wait between them is worth it. While his second album definitely rivals this one as his best, Seal, or anyone else in that matter, has never toyed with dance, pop, soul, and atmospherics the way he and his crew did on this album and it makes "Seal [1991]" a special gem that must be acquired as soon as possible. This album changed my life forever with it's artistic brilliance and atmospheres. Dance music doesn't get any better than it does on here. Seal's music has always been innovative and Seal continues to put out some of the best music of the times and his music has a special place in my CD collection. This album is about as perfect as an album can possibly get. Support Seal. Support real talent. Go and buy it today and buy it new even if it means spending the extra dollar! Enough said!

Im usually one for the heavier stuff, but you will be surprised how compelling Seal's debut album really is. The choice of studio musicians are also very interesting - Trevor Horn and Trevor Rabin? The mode is primarily dance, specifically house music, which means you get big thumping uptempo beats and lush synth work. At that its admirably good, with Seal's scratchy-yet-smooth voice crooning over the top giving each of the tracks an erotic, sensual vibe that you just don't usually get with typical dance music. Not my style, but anywhere there's a Chapman stick involved, I am on the scene. Then there's also some acoustic guitar textures and other good stuff thrown in for good measure to "seal" the deal. Contains the hallucinatory hit "Crazy", the positive credentials of which are without question, but check out "Killer" (a dance tune which just BARELY flirts with industrial) and the pretty ballad "Show Me".

Thank the dudes from Art of Noise and ZTT Records for helping Seal craft a perfect CD. There is a plethora of styles, textures, layers, and moods. Seal's wonderful voice adds so much depth to a record so rich with demension. I loved it all, but if I had to pick some favorites: "Whirpool"-Gotta hear it. Flows like Champagne. "Future Love Paradise"-Builds to a rockin' crescendo. "Violet"-Soothing, dreamy. "Killer"-Jammin, jammin. I have never heard anything else that quite matches the groove of this debut. A must for your collection.

I don't know what instruments Seal plays -- maybe he sticks to composition and vocals. Anyway, Seal first received acclaim for his work on the outstanding single 'Killer', which was credited entirely to the keyboardsman/club DJ Adamski. Strangely -- or perhaps not so strangely if you've heard the album that Adamski recorded to puff out the single -- it is Seal who has had much the more successful career.

Thankfully it was the controversial ZTT production team, led by former Yes and Buggles man Trevor Horn, who signed up Seal, adn the rest is history. ZTT brought a heavy production technique to all the artists they worked with in the 80s and 90s -- you only have to listen to any Art of Noise record to hear the range of ideas they bring to bear when they have no artist but themselves to work on. Because of their weighty, almost Spector-like production layering, they selected only the strongest, most distinctive new artists for the label -- people like Grace jones, Frankie Goes to Hollywood and Seal, who would shine through even Horn and Anne Dudley's editorial gloss.

We need also to mention the influence of Guy Sigsworth -- he of the bass in Bomb the Bass -- who co-wrote with Seal two of the stand-out tracks on this wonderful album: the stonking opener, 'The Beginning', and the beautiful finisher 'Violet'. I cannot write too highly of 'Violet' -- the percussion is simply gorgeous, starting off with a simple electronic beat and culminating in a full Latin chorus. (Any record featuring the marvellous Paulinho Da Costa is usually well worth the money.) But I'd love to know which film or TV programme the voice samples on this track come from. Any ideas?

Other outstanding tracks include 'Crazy' and a re-working of 'Killer' which features Yes's Trevor Rabin on guitar.

After recording this and his second album, it appeared that Seal could do no wrong. We just want you to record a few more, Henry.

If there is one word to describe Seal it is: talent. This man does everything. He sings, writes, composes and plays on this album. Add in that he has one of the best male voices in the music industry, and you have winner. Seal doesn't waste any time proving this on his self-titled album. Every song on here is incredibly rich in sound and taste. The music flows as if the whole thing was done effortlessly.

"Crazy" received a lot of airplay, and is the easiest song to recognize with Seal's powerful vocals, strong beat, and wah-wah rhythm guitar. If it is the highpoint of the album, you don't have to go down very far to reach the other great songs. "Deep Water" is another strong performance. Seal sings over an acoustic guitar rhythm, with some slide soloing. "Whirlpool" is another acoustic bit with guitar and piano that focuses mostly on his voice. "The Beginning" and "Killer" have a dance flavor to them with the driving beat. All very good cuts.

This album is nothing more than a showcase for Seal's talent, especially his voice. His voice is smooth, yet powerful, and he is able to use it well.

Clearly Seal's simplest album and debatably his best. I find such power in his simplicity. Even though the songs are rich with overdubs and rather unconventional chord changes, the simple tones of his voice and guitar are just out of this world. I can see Trevor Horn's (his producer) vision - a lush background of sound to support a dynamic, soulful singer. Perhaps Seal's voice would seem even more soulful with more conventional music, but I wouldn't forego the incredible songwriting on this album. It is both powerful and subtle. I enjoy both the basic and the lush arrangements presented here. I couldn't call myself a true music lover if I didn't own this album.

With his impressive physique inherited from his Brazilian and Nigerian ancestry and a voice so smooth it conjures up the memory of Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield and Smokey Robinson, Seal was destined to be a huge star. This wonderful album includes his Adamskiless version of Killer, along with his UK number one Crazy and further delights like the club movers The Beginning and Future Love Paradise. Produced by Trevor Horne of Frankie Goes To Hollywood fame, the album's slick arrangements lend full justice to his sensual voice and sophisticated hook-filled songs of yearning. A very impressive debut.

This 1991 release was (and remains) a stroke of pure genius. "The Beginning" is a terrific opener that not only rouses the listener, but features a dynamite hook that will have you singing along and dancing all at once! It segues directly into a fast-strummed acoustic guitar that introduces the beautiful and plaintive "Deep Water", itself a stunner even when placed next to the LP's biggest hit song "Crazy". Throughout this opening salvo, Seal's rich and raspy baritone lends these complex, multi-textured, mood shifting pieces a soul and resonance that would have been wasted in the hands of a lesser singer. This album moves so effortlessly from frenetic dance tracks to acoustic Cali-Style Soft Rock to soul and hints of progressive jazz that it's hard to believe that it all works as well as it does (unless you've heard it, then you know what I mean)and was produced by one man, the brilliant Trevor Horn. "Killer" mixes dance beats, a crunching hard rock guitar loop and layers of synthesizers to devestating effect. "Whirlpool" is another acoustic gem featuring Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman that reflects on the meaning of life. "Future Love Paradise" is one of two bass-heavy tracks(the other being the yearning ballad "Show Me") that give a nod to soul, without diluting the eclecticism of the entire LP. This is one of only a few truly flawless albums in the world, that rare work of art that can listened to from start to finish 1,000 times without fast forwarding or skipping any tracks and you STILL don't tire of hearing it. In a word : PERFECT.

I have bought everything i could get my hands on from Seal, starting with this CD, which will blow you away. His lyrics are truly breath taking as you can feel the pure and honest raw emotions coming through. He purposely does not include the words to the songs, so that each and every listener can interpret them for their own personal meaning. Buy this CD and you will feel connected to Seal after listening to his outstanding descritions and emotions that shine through each song.

Very seldom does an artist produce an album with so many great songs!! Seal does it on his first try!! It has something for everyone. From the pop hit "Crazy", the accoustic driven "Whirlpool", the thumping "Future Love Paradise, to the cd's relaxing finale "Violet". This is just one of those albums where you just slip in the cd, sit back with nice Macanudo Robust and enjoy!!! You won't be disappointed!!!