Review Summary: Seal goes from dark to syrupy.
After a decade of hits, Seal entered the 21st century worn down by the hard work involved in recording and touring. He no longer had to prove anything in regards to his prowess and he could have retired at any time knowing that he had already contributed a solid catalog of music that would remain a patrimony of the 90’s. However, Seal wasn’t one to abandon the music business so easily; and this led to the recording of his fourth album, which was also his third one to be self-titled.
As hinted earlier, where the case can be made for Seal’s earlier records as essentials,
Seal (IV) is really a luxury, an album that seems to be more oriented towards his fan base than to new converts. That is not to say that this is a bad record, au contraire, it is a fine record indeed. But it cannot be emphasized enough that new listeners may find little fascination with this record.
In general, the album does a rupture with the darker tones of
Human Being, opting instead for a greater emphasis on ballads. This new emphasis on love songs might have responded to any number of reasons, which shall not be covered here. But suffice it to say that this is Seal’s most syrupy record at the time of its release.
Love’s Divine, reminds us somewhat of
Lost My Faith (from
Human Being). Where that song expressed frustrations with a relationship, Love’s Divine expresses a newfound strength and a longing to be loved. It’s a decent song, though the lyrics are far from being Seal’s best:
Then the rainstorm came, over me
And I felt my spirit break
I had lost all of my, belief you see
And realized my mistake
But time threw a prayer, to me
And all around me became still
I need love, love's divine
Please forgive me now I see that I've been blind
Give me love, love is what I need to help me know my name
Through the rainstorm came sanctuary
And I felt my spirit fly
I had found all of my reality
I realize what it takes
'Cause I need love, love's divine
Please forgive me now I see that I've been blind
Give me love, love is what I need to help me know my name
Don’t Make Me Wait goes along the same lines. Seal pretty much manifests here that he wishes to maintain a strong relationship and get past all the confrontations typical of couples. Again, Seal isn’t really “thinking outside the box” with this one, but it’s a good song all the same:
Are we tired of feeling blue
Can I get along with you
Just don't tell me try
Every time we fuss and fight
What I really try to say
Is I won't be afraid, yah
If you say you're willing too
Close your eyes and maybe - maybe see it through
Don't make me wait long
Sounds like a sad song of mine
Every time we meet baby on the street there we go
Always seem to fight why we do I never now that
All I can take
'Cause you ain't easy
Some can relate
That's life, get back together, every time
It amazes me to say, yah
I've been so tired to find my way, close to you
To love divine is what I - what I'm gonna do
Yah, What I'm really trying to say
Is love won't deny me, cause everyday is like a newly day
Lovin' till the end yah yah yah yah
Where There’s Gold deals with domestic violence. This is possibly the most interesting song on the record: not only does it deal with a highly relevant issue, but it also integrates reggae beats:
When there's nothing left to buy, it's only love that gets you high
When u need to have that feeling once again
When there's no place left to roam follow your heart to bring you home
If you've taken all the beating you can take
You can lift your head
Pray that you will find the strength to keep you hanging on
Pray that you will help someone to find out what is wrong
Only lies can make it go away
All the things you think of now you know that you were wrong
All the things you have to say
Then by chance you find a message written on your phone
Clear your day, clear your day
In the end, the album does indeed have interesting moments, and makes a fine addition to Seal’s trajectory. Having said this, it’s far from being Seal’s best, and is only recommended for fans of his earlier work. The music itself mostly lacks memorability, since the album emphasizes Seal’s vocals (a tendency present on
Human Being). People new to Seal’s music should look instead to his first two albums.
