System

Seal | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 13, 2007)
• Original Release Date: November 13, 2007
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Warner Brothers/Elektra/Atlantic
• ASIN: B000TUXL34
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (100 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,827 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Some artists mellow as they age; Seal enters never-surrender mode and hits the dance floor. System gets at a new way of thinking for the king of the sexy British croon--he's a little less committed to nailing the vocals here and a lot more into manufacturing a mood. Overall, it's one infused with high spirits and an almost dreamy sense of possibility: "Rolling," the only song outside of a weird duet with wife Heidi Klum ("Wedding Day") to avoid elaborate but likable synths, stands its romantic ground without settling into ho-hum balladry, while "Loaded," "Dumb," and "The Right Life" bust out of the speakers determined to raise the profile of house music and electro beats. If he cribs a vial or two of vibe from Madonna's Confessions on a Dance Floor,, also produced by retro whiz-kid Stuart Price, it doesn't make Seal any less appealing. Even without hits like the super-smooth "Amazing," some guys manage to be amazing just by showing up. And so it is with Seal. Even his superm! odel wife says so. --Tammy La Gorce

The first studio album in four years from Seal, System, with its shimmering melodies, layers of synths and acoustic guitar, and electronic beats, is a return to my roots says the singer-songwriter. To help him deliver a more dance oriented album, what he calls a quintessential Seal album, Seal turned to Stuart Price(Madonna's Confessions On A Dance Floor and Grammy-winning remixes for No Doubt and Coldplay).

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

44 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I grabbed my disc and disappeared into the abyss., November 24, 2007

By 

Jason Stein (San Diego, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: System (Audio CD)

I've read several reviews of Seal's fifth cd "System". I've entertained all the arguments for and against "System". I, too, have been a fan of Seal since 1991. I, too, have seen him in concert at Red Rocks in June 1995 with Des'ree opening for him. I am a big fan of Trevor Horn (The Buggles, Yes, Peter Gabriel, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Art Of Noise, etc.) I agree that MOST of the time when an artist gets married or has children their music goes downhill. I also agree that the older an artist gets, the less relevant their new music is, and agree that they've already said what they wanted to say when they were young.

However, for me, Seal has always been consistent. Sure, there are songs on each of his discs that I could probably program out, but overall, his past four discs have been very consistent. Unlike others, in 1998, I bought "Human Beings", but it took me a long time to like it. Would I consider it his best work? No. His most artistic? Maybe.

I knew Stuart Price was the same guy who did Madonna's "Confessions On A Dancefloor" (which was average for Madonna in my opinion). So, I listened to "System" many times before sitting down to write my review here. I agree that Stuart Price's production detracts from what Trevor Horn was able to enhance. Seal's lyrics are the same though. I don't feel he has nothing to say. The lyrics are more uplifting (marriage and child can do that to some men) and the music goes with that newfound sense of happiness. Still, "If It's In My Mind, It's On My Face" has that old Seal insight in which he talks about hanging in there. Wasn't that also what "Crazy" and "Killer" were about too? "Amazing" is good in both versions, and also is a song about affirmation.

The sound of "System" is dancefloor friendly, but it differs in one significant way from his debut--variety. His debut alternated between club tracks and acoustic numbers and a mixture of both. "System" is almost purely electronic, though there is strong acoustic guitar on "Dumb" and he slows down for "Wedding Day", a target for jokes since he chose to duet with his wife Heidi Klum of "Project Runway". He also slows down for "Rolling" which is probably his most "Human Beings" era sounding.

To me, "System" is another consistent chapter in Seal's career whether fans like the disc or not. Some say with "Human Beings" he didn't care what the mainstream wanted, but "System" is the same thing. He made this music without caring what his fans wanted. It sounds like he was feeling good and wanted to get that onto record right now. Maybe his next album won't feel as happy, but ten years from now fans might want to come back to "System" and revisit a positive time in Seal's career. Every artist goes back to the beginning from time to time before moving onto their next phase. "System" is a clean, short dance album with many of the same hallmarks of Seal's previous works such as great vocals, strong lyrics and memorable songs. "Amazing", "Just Like Before", "The Right Life", "Rolling" and "If It's In My Mind, It's On My Face" are all solid, memorable tracks. The rest are good, but not great. Four stars, just like "Seal IV".

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing, December 2, 2007

By 

MICHAEL ACUNA (Southern California United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: System (Audio CD)

Seal's recording career started with a Bang about 16 years ago with two terrific albums of music: startling, beautiful, stirringly sung Music. Music that touched you in places that Music seldom touches you...simultaneously on your mind, in your heart and in your soul.
Then there was a period of searching for a direction, "Human Being" and "Seal IV": both albums with several commendable songs but neither with the intense thought and musical follow-through of Seal's first two.
And now there is "System." From the very first sighs of "If it's in my mind, it's on my face," it is apparent that Seal is up to something different. His trademark voice, always perfectly in pitch, always big, always bold and masculine: "The time is now!..if I could fly I'd spread my wings and free you from these foolish things..." The arrangement is voluptuous with Bass and Strings and the beat dares you not to move out of your chair, whether that chair is in your dining room or in your car....and dance.
The signature song of "System" comes next and that is "Amazing" and indeed it is. In fact there are two versions of this song on this CD, one a remix by "The Thin White Duke" (Bowie maybe?) and there are two others that I know of: one by Kaskade and the other by Bill Hamel available elsewhere.
"Just Like Before," "The Right Life," "Loaded": all primo Seal...thoughtful, rough, truthful, one stronger than the former but all meshed together by the committed vocalizing by one of our premier singers.
"System" is in fact all about fun, about dancing, about Joy and mostly about shrugging off the BS of Life and moving your booty. Seal is obviously happy and wants to spread it around...and we're more than happy to accept his beneficence.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sound System, November 14, 2007

By 

Tim Brough "author and music buff" (Springfield, PA United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: System (Audio CD)

Many things have changed in Seal's world since the days of Seal and his dance smashes "Killer" and "Crazy." The main change in the last few years, however, had little to do with music. His marriage to super-model Heidi Klum and their children has put his name more in the tabloids than the music papers, and oddly enough, probably made more people aware of his new "System" than any of his releases since Seal II.

The good news is that "System" is a solid album, filled with strong singing and upbeat lyrical themes. The biggest change musically is in producers; Trevor Horn's immaculate and grandiose production is exchanged for Stuart Price's more club savvy mixes. Seeing as he brought Madonna back for her Confessions on a Dance Floor, it makes sense for Seal to aim back to his "Killer" roots. You can tell the target just by the cover portrait, where Seal stares out at us via a fractured reflection in a mirror ball. With anthems in the waiting "If It's In My Mind It's On My Face," "System" and "Dumb" just begging to get clubbed out, Price understands his role in much the way Horn was a perfect fit for the prior albums.

It isn't just Price that knows his place; so does Seal's bride. Domestic joy informs a lot of these songs, like the great "Amazing" and the curiosity of the couple's duet "Wedding Day." While Heidi is not up to the level of Joni Mitchell (""If I Could," from the second album), she obviously relishes her role as muse. Seal is also maturing gracefully, his voice gaining a husky depth - like on "Immaculate" here - as the years pass. He has always been one of the best soul singers the 90's produced, and that he has managed to outlast many of his peers (think Terrence Trent D'Arby or Roland Gift) has as much to do with his indomitable spirit as much as his persistence/consistence of vision. That Seal can take his time to perfect his albums to where they qualitatively satisfy him (only 5 studio albums in 17 years) makes "System" all that more worth the wait.