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Soul
(Amazon.co.uk Review) Soul is a confusing beast. We know Seal has a great voice and can easily imagine him being covering golden oldies with aplomb. Yet this collection of soul favourites is frustratingly patchy. Opener "A Change Is Gonna Come" is impassioned and beautifully arranged (the album is helmed by David Foster of Celebrity Duets fame, who has made sure it sounds fresh and compelling), and even though it could never compare to Sam Cooke's original, it's ultimately a successful reworking. Seal applies his sandpapery tones to James Brown's "It's a Man's Man's Man's World", Al Green's ?Here I Am" and ?I'm Still in Love With You", and Ben E King's ?Stand By Me"--all of them with decent results. Decent, yet hardly overwhelming. And here's where the confusion kicks in: Why cover a bunch of songs that have already been done to death? Christmas being right around the corner is perhaps one good reason in commercial terms. But when you listen to the singer transform less well-trodden territory like Deniece Williams' ?Free" or Ann Peeble's ?I Can't Stand the Rain", it's hard not to feel this play-it-safe option--while undoubtedly a wonderful Xmas gift--is also a lost creative opportunity. --Danny McKenna
Buy
Tracks| 1 | A Change Is Gonna Come | | 2 | I Can't Stand The Rain | | 3 | It's A Man's Man's Man's World | | 4 | Here I Am (Come And Take Me) | | 5 | I've Been Loving You Too Long | | 6 | It's Alright | | 7 | If You Don't Know Me By Now | | 8 | Knock On Wood | | 9 | I'm Still In Love With You | | 10 | Free | | 11 | Stand By Me | | 12 | People Get Ready |
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