Soul 2

Seal | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 24, 2012)
• Original Release Date: 2012
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Warner Bros.
• ASIN: B005P3NPXG
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (55 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,552 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Wishing On A Star

2. Love T.K.O.

3. Ooh Baby Baby

4. Let's Stay Together

5. What's Going On

6. Love Don't Live Here Anymore

7. Back Stabbers

8. I'll Be Around

9. Love Won't Let Me Wait

10. Lean On Me

11. Oh Girl

Editorial Reviews

2012 album from the British vocalist. After the success of his platinum-selling album Soul, Seal has now turned his attention to classic '70s Soul records for this follow-up. Bringing his recognizable voice to tracks such as Rose Royce's 'Wishing On A Star' and Bill Withers' 'Lean On Me', Seal brings soul back to Soul music.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars A safe, pleasant and a little too faithful re-creation of the originals. January 28, 2012

By Miss Congeniality

Format:Audio CD

On 2008's Soul, Seal went through the '60s soulbook with the assistance of producer David Foster.
For its 2011 sequel, Seal moves on a decade and brings in Trevor Horn to helm its 11 tracks (sometimes in conjunction with Foster and his cohort Jochem van der Saag), a result that perhaps freshens proceedings up a bit but doesn't change them markedly.
Soul 2 remains a faithful re-creation of classic soul, Horn applying a new coat of paint to the original arrangements, ensuring that this is a fresh, glistening environment for Seal.
The singer doesn't pop against this backdrop, he blends into his surroundings, sounding as immaculately tailored as the instrumentation, never pushing the tunes away from the melodies you know by heart.
While that might not make for especially compelling listening, it's certainly pleasant either as nostalgia or as high-end lifestyle music. S.T. Erlewine

Best tracks: "Love T.K.O", "Let's Stay Together", "I'll Be Around".

Essential Teddy Pendergrass
Baby Come to Me: Best of

17 of 22 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Whirlpool. February 9, 2012

By Jason Stein VINE™ VOICE

Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase

If you had told me in the summer of 1991, in the midst of listening to Seal's "Crazy" and his self-titled debut, that one day he would devolve into schmaltz I would have said fat chance. Yet, 20 years on, here is the nadir of Seal's career. His third dud recording in a row. This, and his previous two albums "Commitment" and "Soul" are void of anything interesting. It's as if Seal has been castrated, or an imposter put in his place--some robot on autopilot. His last good album was "System". Why? Well, Seal should always be surrounded by electronics--that's where he sounds best. Forget schmaltz master producer David Foster--I mean look what he did to Chicago in the 1980's. He killed a once great band dead with his balladry and sterile production values.

If Trevor Horn did much on "Soul 2" it's not evident. It feels like David Foster through and through. The only good thing about "Soul 2" is Seal's vocals. I particularly thought he handled "Ooh Baby Baby" and "What's Going On" extremely well in terms of how controlled his vocals were.

The problem here will be beaten to death--these cover versions do nothing. Why even make them? I mean, really? They are worthless. They do not even come close to the originals, and no one tried to do something unique with any of them. Cue Starbucks background music now. That's what Seal's music has become--a coaster to rest your coffee beverage on.

I don't like being so negative about an artist, but this irks me to no end. Seal was once a great artist and he has totally taken an about face with his career. I don't care how many copies he sells, the fact remains that his last three albums (this one included) have been utterly forgettable. I hope Seal reads his customers' reviews here, because he needs a kick in the pants. His next album better be good, or it's the end of his career. Perhaps his recent divorce will spark some passion and creativity and hopefully it will translate to his music.

I can't recommend any tracks here because they're all not worth listening to. So here it is, this is how "Soul 2" compares to Seal's previous work:

1991 Seal: Five Stars
1994 Seal: Five Stars
1998 Human Being: Five Stars
2001 Togetherland: (I guess we'll never know, will we?)
2003 IV: Four Stars
2007 System: Four Stars
2008 Soul: Two and a Half Stars
2010 Commitment: Three Stars
2011 Soul 2: Two Stars

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars It's hard to discern what these versions add to the originals. January 29, 2012

By Daryl

Format:Audio CD

This follow-up to Seal's massively successful 2008 anthology of soul classics extends that album's largely Sixties orientation into the Seventies, with covers of standards by such as Al Green, Marvin Gaye and Bill Withers.
With Trevor Horn sharing production duties with David Foster, the arrangements are impeccable.
But while Seal's voice is a natural fit, it's hard to discern what these versions add, given their general faithfulness to the originals.
Some songs are virtually uncoverable: the lushly orchestrated "What's Going On" loses the ethereal quality of Marvin Gaye's, for instance.
And the lack of variation is wearing: after a while, I was desperate for someone to bring the funk in true Seventies style, but all I got was neatly coiffed covers of Detroit Spinners, Delfonics and Chi-Lites. A. Gill