ARTIST: Seal
TITLE: Seal
YEAR RELEASED: 1991
CHART ACTION: #27 US, #1 UK
SINGLES: Crazy (#7 US, #2 UK), Future Love Paradise (#12 UK), The Beginning (#6 Dance, #24UK), Killer (#9 Dance, #8 UK), Violet (#39 UK)
OTHER SONGS YOU MAY KNOW: That’s over 1/2 of the record
LINEUP: Seal with session players assembled by Trevor Horn
WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT: Contemporary soul / R&B / dance record shows off Seal’s vocals with some well written and well produced songs.
SOME WORDS, PHRASES AND CLAUSES ABOUT THIS RECORD: Trevor Horn showed he still had an ear for sound, and songs, when he produced this, Seal’s debut album. Seal had written or co-written several tracks that all could have been hit singles or dance club favorites, and Horn crafted them into a pleasing but interesting record.
Seal’s vocals work on both the panty-droppers and the up-tempo numbers. He’s got a natural gift of voice, and his songs are varied enough to provide a listening experience that doesn’t wear on you or get old.
It was the beginning of a long-lasting career for the singer, and the debut still could be released today and do well on the charts, thanks to Horn’s production.
NOTES & MINUTIAE: The first hit, “Crazy”, was written as the world was changing in 1989. Also, “Killer” was used on the soundtrack of the NBC show Homicide: Life on the Streets.
IS THERE A DELUXE VERSION: A couple of versions – one is kind of a rush-release and the other has longer mixes on two songs. I think the latter is what is streaming..
GRADE: A-: Good, contemporary R&B.