Amazon.co.uk Review
Soul is a confusing beast. We know Seal has a great voice and can easily imagine him being covering golden oldies with aplomb. Yet this collection of soul favourites is frustratingly patchy. Opener "A Change Is Gonna Come" is impassioned and beautifully-arranged (the album is helmed by David Foster of
Celebrity Duets fame, who has made sure it sounds fresh and compelling), and even though it could never compare to Sam Cooke's original, it's ultimately a successful reworking. Seal applies his sandpapery tones to James Brown's "It's a Man's Man's Man's World", Al Green's "Here I Am" and "I'm Still in Love With You", and Ben E King's "Stand By Me"--all of them with decent results. Decent, yet hardly overwhelming. And here's where the confusion kicks in: why cover a bunch of songs that have already been done to death? Christmas being right around the corner is perhaps one good reason in commercial terms. But when you listen to the singer transform less well-trodden territory like Deniece Williams' "Free" or Ann Peeble's "I Can't Stand the Rain", its hard not to feel this play-it-safe option--while undoubtedly a wonderful Xmas gift--is also a lost creative opportunity.
--Danny McKenna
CD Description
Almost exactly one year after the dancefloor-oriented 'System' comes this seventh album from one of Britain's most popular exports, on which he teams up with pop production colossus David Foster (Josh Groban, Michael Buble, Celine Dion) topay homage to the classic soul singers who have inspired him. Here he tackles tunes made famous by the likes of Sam Cooke, Curtis Mayfield, James Brown and Al Green, reinterpreting them in the mellifluous tones that have made him world famous.
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