Seal
Seal (1991)

review by: Alexander Washburn
Date: 10/30/00

You have to think back to a time when his songs didn't appear in bad Batman and Michael Jordan movies (as opposed to those good Michael Jordan movies.) And before he covered bad Steve Miller Band songs that appear in equally bad post office commercials. Why does the post office need to advertise anyway?

There was a time, when he was a bad ass in leather, with shoulder-length dreadlocks, who wrote and sang songs that had meaning and message. That would be the first Seal record - oh how times have changed.

From the danceable "In the Beginning," "Crazy," and "Killer" to the beautifully acoustic "Whirlpool," where he innocently says "all you get from lovers are lies and pain - I should've known better," Seal runs the gamut of emotion in 9 skillfully crafted songs. In "Future, Love, Paradise," he warns us about the evils of racism and challenges the listener to "make the world peaceful to make life wonderful." "Violet," and "Show Me," take you to a peaceful, sunny Sunday morning, with melodies and beats that flow like air.

So when he opens up and sings, "Show me the way to solve your problems and I'll be there," it doesn't sound like the pop garbage that led to his downfall.