Date: 24 January 2012
The soon-to-be ex-husband of supermodel Heidi Klum is back with another album of cover versions of soul classics and, whisper it, it's actually very good. Seal's knack for writing original material waned a long time ago but that voice has never been in any doubt, and he is in finer voice than ever on Soul 2. In lesser singer's hands, taking on classics like these could be seen as sacrilege, but Seal does them justice, and then some. The set offers brilliant takes on songs by such luminaries as Marvin Gaye, Al Green, Teddy Pendergrass and Bill Withers, among others, and nails them. There may be nothing revolutionary about Soul 2, but as a vehicle for Seal's immaculate voice it's perfect.