Seal – Standards (Deluxe) (2017)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 52:12 minutes | 1,03 GB | Genre: Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Decca (UMO)
It’s always some kind of baptism of fire. Not a prerequisite but a way to measure oneself to one’s colleagues from yesterday and today. With the aptly named Standards, his tenth studio album, Seal climbs the Everest of the great jazz and swing classics. After three decades, the Brit doesn’t have anything to prove anymore about the soul quality of his voice. But this retro-flavored enchanted digression reminds us of how this powerful and sultry organ can master any repertoire. Recorded for the most part in the famous Capitol studios in Los Angeles, precisely where Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Nat “King” Cole and many others have recorded some of their greatest discs, Standardshas incidentally been created with the help of musicians that have assisted these great voices. We find pianist Randy Waldman (Frank Sinatra, Paul Anka), bass player Chuck Berghofer (Ella Fitzgerald, Ray Charles) and drummer Greg Fields (Quincy Jones, Stevie Wonder), all gathered so that Seal would give his reinterpretations of Autumn Leaves, I Put A Spell On You, Love For Sale, My Funny Valentine, I’ve Got You Under My Skin, Smile, I’m Beginning To See The Light and Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow. “This is the album I have always wanted to make, explains the concerned party. I grew up listening to music from the Rat Pack era, so recording these timeless tunes was a lifelong dream. It was a true honour to collaborate with the same musicians who performed with Frank Sinatra and so many of my favourite artists, in the very same studios where the magic was first made – it was one of the greatest days of my recording career.” We can easily imagine that…
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Seal – Seal IV (2003/2012)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 52:04 minutes | 593 MB | Genre: Pop, Soul
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Warner Bros. Records
It’d be erroneous to call any of Seal’s albums “gritty,” but 2003’s Seal IV has a blues-based punchiness that can’t be found in his other works. You can hear it right away in “Get It Together” and “Waiting for You,” both of which have a surprisingly authentic ‘70s R&B feel. Seal IV has the air of an album that was played live in the studio. Part of that comes from the participation of Mark Batson: a classically trained pianist who cowrote and produced six tracks and would go on to become a renowned rap producer for the likes of Dr. Dre and Eminem. While Batson’s tracks are immediately recognizable for their earthy, organic feel—just check out the gutsy “Let Me Roll” or the Beatles-inflected reggae track “Where There’s Gold”—Seal’s longtime producer Trevor Horn is on hand to assert the more classical side of the singer’s sound; see the softly brooding performances of “Tinsel Town” and “Loneliest Star” and the light electronica of “My Vision.” And witness the chamber orchestrations of “Don’t Make Me Wait”: an Otis Redding tearjerker dressed up in a tuxedo at the Philharmonic.
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Seal – Best 1991 – 2004 (2004/2011)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/88,2 kHz | Time – 01:06:56 minutes | 1,19 GB | Genre: Pop, R&B
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Warner Bros. Records
Multiplatinum selling, Grammy winning, critically acclaimed Seal unveils his first greatest hits collection with Seal Best 1991-2004. But there’s even more-along with this single-CD edition, which features the original album versions of 12 of his hits and best-loved tracks plus a cover song newly recorded by Seal (“Walk on By”). For fans of the pop, dance, urban and adult contemporary, Seal Best 1991-2004 is the quintessential Seal experience.
“Advantage offered by the high(er)-res download formats being cleaner bass. Seal was never one to skimp on the bottom end, but the vigorous thumping on the CD is slightly bloated and smeared. You really can’t go wrong with this download. – Alan Taffel, The Absolute Sound
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Seal – 7 (2015)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/48 kHz | Time – 49:20 minutes | 591 MB | Genre: R&B
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Warner Bros. Records
On 7, Seal explores love and all of its implications, idiosyncrasies, and intricacies – subject matter he began to delicately approach as early as 2013, knowing exactly where he wanted to go. “The album concerns the most sung about, most talked about, and most documented emotion-love,” Seal says. “I tried to capture all of the wonderfully different dynamics of love, whether it’s the anger, the acceptance, the bliss, the sadness, the elation, or the recklessness. It’s this emotion and the ways it makes us feel. It’s about the extreme joy and the extreme regret as well as all of the crazy things love makes us do.”
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Seal – Seal (Deluxe Edition) (1991/2022)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 04:22:06 minutes | 3,00 GB | Genre: R&B, Soul
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Rhino – Warner Records
Grammy Award winner Seal’s self-titled debut, which went five times platinum in the U.S. alone, is being released in a new 4-CD/2-LP version with remastered audio, rare recordings, dance remixes and a previously unreleased concert.
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Seal – IV
Artist: Seal | Album: IV | Style: Pop, Soul | Year: 2004 [2003 original] | Quality: DVD-Audio (MLP 5.1 88.2 kHz/24Bit, MLP 2.0 88.2kHz, DolbyAC3 5.1) | Bitrate: lossless | Tracks: 12 + 3 videoclips | Size: ~3.82 Gb | Recovery: 3% | Covers: in archive | Release: Warner Brothers, 2004 | Note: Watermarked
Besides taking his usual multi-year hiatus before releasing Seal IV, the artist scrapped a whole album’s worth of material, feeling he couldn’t stand behind the strength of the songs (should this be Seal IV.I?). It’s disappointing, then, that the songs on Seal IV lack any of the Grammy-grabbing flair of his earlier releases. What saves it is a conviction that is high enough to overcome, a voice that is more driven than usual, and some genuine moments of songwriting inspiration. “Let Me Roll” has a cool swagger and fun wordplay, and the yearning ballad “Loneliest Star” is only a few steps away from “Kiss from a Rose.” Opener “Get It Together” offers an Up With People understanding of the state of the world with its “everyone is beautiful” sentimentality, but it’s the funky backbeat and gritty vocals that make it more Al Green than Lee Greenwood. A re-recording of Seal’s collaboration with Jakatta, “My Vision” is given new life through more restrained than usual production from Trevor Horn. The absence of Horn’s usual bombast throughout the album allows Seal’s voice (in every sense of the word) to be the focus. It’s a good move, and if the totally solid Jakatta-sourced track is any indication, a break from Horn might be beneficial next time. Despite being heavy with unexceptional tunes, Seal IV has enough going for it to warrant the next four years of anticipation. (more…)
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Seal – Best: 1991-2004
Artist: Seal | Album: Best: 1991-2004 | Style: Soul, R&B, Pop | Year: 2005 | Quality: DVD-Audio (MLP 5.1 88.2kHz/24Bit, MLP 2.0 88.2kHz/24Bit, Dolby AC3 5.1, Dolby AC3 2.0) | Bitrate: lossless | Tracks: 14 + 13 acoustic + 10 videoclips | Size: ~7.8 Gb | Recovery: 5% | Release: © Warner Bros. (48882-2), 2005 | Note: Watermarked
Reusing the cover from his 1994 self-titled release — as opposed to his 1991 or 2003 self-titled release — makes Seal’s discography all the more confusing, but that’s the only mistake made on this glorious collection. Seal’s partnership with producer Trevor Horn has yielded some of the most elegantly soulful and richly textured pop music of the preceding 20 years. Best: 1991-2004 picks and chooses from their output perfectly, orders it in a way that makes sense, and remembers a couple compilation and soundtrack appearances to make itself worthwhile for Seal’s faithful. If you’ve owned a radio at sometime in the past two decades, a quarter of the disc will be familiar. But radio’s compressed delivery of “Crazy,” “Kiss From a Rose,” and others don’t do these grand songs justice; plus, anytime you can put a Trevor Horn production on the headphones is a rewarding experience. The songs from the lesser Seal IV come off much stronger in these surroundings, and the inclusion of a bunch of album tracks you forgot about but shouldn’t have speaks to the compilers’ keen understanding of Seal’s career. The new recording of Bacharach-David’s “Walk On By” is sweet, fair, and no disappointment, but it’s Seal’s take on Steve Miller’s “Fly Like an Eagle” or Echo & the Bunnymen’s “Lips Like Sugar” that proves him an great interpreter of other’s tunes and able to shine without Horn’s help (the positive and empowering “My Vision” is the third and final track without Horn). The greatness of Seal’s first two albums keeps the collection from being “the only Seal CD you’ll ever need.” Instead, Best: 1991-2004 is a fantastic overview of a hit-or-miss artist that soars when he’s got the right material. This is all the right material and an unquestionable success. (more…)
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Seal – Seal IV (2003/2004)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/88.2kHz | Time – 00:52:06 minutes | 858 MB | Genre: Pop, Soul
Official Digital Download – Source: DVD Audio (Watermarked!) | © Warner Bros. Records
Besides taking his usual multi-year hiatus before releasing Seal IV, the artist scrapped a whole album’s worth of material, feeling he couldn’t stand behind the strength of the songs (should this be Seal IV.I?). It’s disappointing, then, that the songs on Seal IV lack any of the Grammy-grabbing flair of his earlier releases. What saves it is a conviction that is high enough to overcome, a voice that is more driven than usual, and some genuine moments of songwriting inspiration. “Let Me Roll” has a cool swagger and fun wordplay, and the yearning ballad “Loneliest Star” is only a few steps away from “Kiss from a Rose.” Opener “Get It Together” offers an Up With People understanding of the state of the world with its “everyone is beautiful” sentimentality, but it’s the funky backbeat and gritty vocals that make it more Al Green than Lee Greenwood. A re-recording of Seal’s collaboration with Jakatta, “My Vision” is given new life through more restrained than usual production from Trevor Horn. The absence of Horn’s usual bombast throughout the album allows Seal’s voice (in every sense of the word) to be the focus. It’s a good move, and if the totally solid Jakatta-sourced track is any indication, a break from Horn might be beneficial next time. Despite being heavy with unexceptional tunes, Seal IV has enough going for it to warrant the next four years of anticipation. –AllMusic Review by David Jeffries
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Seal – Seal II (1994/2005)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/88.2kHz | Time – 01:24:49 minutes | 1,62 GB | Genre: Pop, Soul
Official Digital Download – Source: DVD Audio (Watermarked!) | © Warner Bros. Records
Recorded: Sarm West Studios, 1993-1994
Fresh from his 1991 self-titled debut, Seal followed with another self-titled release. And true to form, it’s another stunning work, although it becomes clear that a musical maturation has taken place. Produced by ex-Buggles frontman Trevor Horn (Pet Shop Boys, ABC, Yes, Frankie Goes to Hollywood), Seal is far more enchanting than his debut. True, Seal is a bit too relaxed at times, but aside from that criticism, the record is lush with harmonies and over-the-top melodies. “Don’t Cry” flows with the luxuriant vibes of a hushed vocal and a bellowing string arrangement. Seal showcases his collaborative talent with “If I Could,” a duet featuring Canadian folkie Joni Mitchell. “Kiss from a Rose” and “Prayer for the Dying” established Seal as a household name after both became radio and television mainstays. The soul is there, hauntingly similar to singer Terence Trent D’Arby. But what’s so unique about Seal is his gift of transforming free-flowing songs into quick dancefloor tracks with a transcendent step into musical magic. His voice has a spell like that, and his second album reflects such skills. –AllMusic Review by MacKenzie Wilson
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Seal – Seal (1991/2005)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/88.2kHz | Time – 01:26:34 minutes | 1,68 GB | Genre: Pop, Soul
Official Digital Download – Source: DVD Audio (Watermarked!) | © Warner Bros. Records
Recorded: November 1990 – April 1991
London singer/songwriter Seal certainly made a name for himself with his eponymous debut despite the comparison to fellow London mate, the raspy soul Terence Trent D’Arby. But Seal is more relaxed, and his craftsmanship is delicate and well defined. Lyrical depictions are light, songwriting is personal, and production credits are most impressive. With star-studded work from both Trevor Horn (Tina Turner, the Art of Noise, Rod Stewart) and Trevor Rabin (Yes, John Miles), Seal is surely a critical hit. Becoming a mainstream radio mainstay for the summer of 1991, the single “Crazy” carried heavy notoriety for Seal and instantly made him a household name. His collaborative effort with Adamski for “Killer” was a massive club hit thanks to its Hi-NRG strength, but house elements are showcased other album tracks such as “The Beginning.” Seal is not necessarily a dance innovator, but he makes for a select crossover artist with impeccable talent worthy of heavy acclamation and critical recognition. The general mood captured on his debut album is refreshing for the early-’90s mediocrity of post-hair metal and manufactured synth bands. His music was a major force throughout the decade and well into the new millennium. With Trevor Horn at his side, it’s undeniable. Together they go for exactly what Seal is looking for: the beauty, desire, and simplicity in creating a new sound. Seal is the face and Horn is the face behind it all. –AllMusic Review by MacKenzie Wilson
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Title: Seal: Live In Paris
Released: 2005
Genre: Pop, Rock, Soul
Directed by: Martyn Atkins
Issued: United States | Warner Bros. Records Inc.
Duration: 1:49:13
Format: MKV
Source: iTunes US
Video 1280 @ 960×720 at 25.000 fps, MPEG-4 AVC, ~ 4000 kbps avg
# 1 Audio: English: 48 kHz, LPCM 2.0, ~ 2304.00 kbps avg
# 2 Audio: English: 48 kHz, DTS, 3/2 (L, C, R, l, r) + LFE ch, ~ 1536.00 kbps avg
Subtitles: None
The first-ever live concert album from multiplatinum-selling, Grammy®-winning, critically acclaimed Seal, ‘Live in Paris’ features his spectacular performance at the Olympia Bruno Coquatrix on July 6, 2004. ‘Live in Paris’ is the ultimate in-concert experience of the pop, dance, urban, and adult contemporary superstar featuring classics “Kiss From A Rose,” “Crazy” and “Love’s Divine.”
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