Review Summary: Though saved by Seal’s fine vocals and some nice piano playing, casual listeners might want to steer clear of this cheese ball and stick to the man’s first three records.
Seal really seems to have gotten stuck in a creative rut since his 4th album. While his earlier works shone with brilliant lyrics and high-caliber production, this is not the case for
Seal (IV) or
System. And, as much as fans might yearn a return to the good ol’ days, this is not what happens on
Commitment.
It’s important to maintain a balanced view of things before we discuss Seal’s latest release. At the time of said release, Seal’s career has spanned a good 19 years since his debut. During this time, the man has persevered, and his voice kept itself in good shape. The problem is, however, that Seal doesn’t seem to be able to craft quality lyrics, thus making his last few albums fall in the good-but-not-great category; indeed, it feels as if his muse has deserted him.
Weight of My Mistakes is a rather dull song. The beats feel rather generic and uncreative. And the lyrics themselves suffer the same problem:
I went walkin' down a busy street
I was lookin' for a heartache
I went lookin' for my heartache
She said, "Don't you wanna be with me?"
Ooh, what a difference the day makes
What a difference the day makes
Best of Me ranks among the most unoriginal songs Seal has ever written. A clichéd love song, it suffers from pretty much the same problems as Weight of My Mistakes. The chorus is probably Seal’s cheesiest ever:
But you got the best of me, baby
When we don't try to understand
Our love, our love
You bring out the best in me, baby
When we don't try to understand
Our love, this love
I Know What You Did goes somewhat in the opposite direction. A break-up song, it does have some nice piano playing. But lyrically, it proves to be another average track of the bunch:
It only seems like it was yesterday
So it ain't all the way, all the way, yeah
You leave me now with even less to say
So it ain't all the way
Like
I Know What You Did,
You Get Me has a nice piano performance. But, by this point, it seems that Seal is unable to stop himself from self-repetition. We are treated once more with a cheesy love song (as is
Best of Me) which might be enjoyable the first time around but which one wouldn’t revisit unless one had a penchant for such cheesiness:
It's hard to ignore
And undeniable, too
This feeling inside
When I look at you
As the reader by now must have gleaned, the album reeks of cheesiness, and is only saved by Seal’s fine vocals and some nice piano playing. Other than that, there really isn’t much to recommend here. This album might suit hardcore Seal fans, but casual listeners might want to steer clear of this cheese ball and stick to the man’s first three records.
