Soul 2

Last updated

Soul 2
Seal - Soul 2.jpg
Studio album by
Seal
Released4 November 2011
Recorded2011
Studio
  • London
  • Los Angeles
Genre
Length42:07
Label Reprise
Producer
Seal chronology
Seal 6: Commitment
(2010)		Soul 2
(2011)		 7
(2015)
Singles from Soul 2
  1. "Let's Stay Together"
    Released: 30 September 2011
  2. "Wishing on a Star"
    Released: 2 November 2011

Soul 2 is the eighth studio album by British soul/R&B singer Seal. The album was released on 4 November 2011. Like its predecessor, Soul (2008) the album consists of soul classics, and it was produced by David Foster, Jochem van der Saag, and long-time collaborator Trevor Horn. It was preceded by the lead single, "Let's Stay Together" on 30 September 2011.

Contents

In the United Kingdom, Soul 2 peaked at number 17 on the UK Albums Chart. As of January 2012, the album has sold 114,654 copies in the UK. [1] In the United States, the album debuted at No. 8 with 27,000 copies sold in the first week. [2] It has sold 115,000 copies in the US as of October 2015. [3]

Background

"One more very important reason why I still make music is the 'gift of collaboration'. I've been fortunate to work with two such industry greats as Trevor Horn and David Foster on this album and they continue to inspire me each and every day."

— Seal on working with the album's producers. [4]

Following the worldwide success of 2008 cover album Soul , Seal teamed up with producers David Foster and Trevor Horn in London and Los Angeles to record Soul 2. [4] The album mainly consists of classic soul songs from the 1970s by artists such as Marvin Gaye, Bill Withers, Al Green, and Teddy Pendergrass. Seal also recorded Bob Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone", but it did not end up on the album. [5] In a press release, Seal said of the album: "In my twenty years on a journey in the music industry, two things remain constants, the voice and more importantly, the song. I continue to make music because of the chance that this day could indeed be the day I write another great song or have the opportunity to sing one. The songs on Soul 2 are a natural evolution in the arc of soul music from the songs on the first Soul album -- and they are all-time classics." [4]

The album cover photo was taken by Seal's friend & photography blogger, Steve Huff, during Seal's performance in Paris.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 70/100 [6]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [7]
BBC Music positive [8]
Billboard favorable [9]
The Guardian Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [10]
The Independent Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [11]

Metacritic gave the album 70 out of 100 based on 5 critic reviews as of May 2012. [6] Caroline Sullivan of The Guardian gave the album four out of five stars writing, "His voice and interpretive skills are such, though, that most tracks fit him like a glove, to the point where, on Rose Royce's "Wishing on a Star", his oak-aged vocal seems a better fit for the remorseful lyric than original singer Gwen Dickey's." [10] BBC Music's Mike Diver gave the album a positive review commenting that "there's nothing bad to be said for Soul 2, and with [Trevor] Horn on production everything shines brightly like the first snowflakes of a new winter. Seal the songwriter might never hit the heights of the early 1990s again – but Seal the singer can still hold his own amongst today's clutch of contemporary soul stars." [8] Andy Gill of The Independent felt that the cover versions were too faithful to the originals, while calling Seal's voice "a natural fit" and the arrangements "impeccable". [11]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Wishing on a Star"Billie Ray Calvin Trevor Horn 4:13
2."Love T.K.O." Cecil Womack, Linda Womack, Gip NobleTrevor Horn5:37
3."Ooh Baby Baby" Smokey Robinson, Pete Moore Trevor Horn3:01
4."Let's Stay Together" Al Green, Willie Mitchell, Al Jackson Jr. David Foster, Trevor Horn, Jochem van der Saag*3:41
5."What's Going On" Al Cleveland, Renaldo Benson, Marvin Gaye Trevor Horn4:27
6."Love Don't Live Here Anymore"Miles GregoryTrevor Horn4:10
7."Back Stabbers" Leon Huff, Gene McFadden, John Whitehead David Foster, Trevor Horn, Jochem van der Saag*3:36
8."I'll Be Around" Thom Bell, Phil Hurtt David Foster, Trevor Horn, Jochem van der Saag*3:15
9."Love Won't Let Me Wait" Vinnie Barrett, Bobby Eli David Foster, Trevor Horn, Jochem van der Saag*4:24
10."Lean on Me" Bill Withers Trevor Horn3:26
11."Oh Girl" Eugene Record Trevor Horn3:53
Digital bonus tracks [12] [13]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
12."For the Love of You"Chris Jasper, Ernie Isley, Marvin Isley, Ronald Isley, Rudolph Isley4:13
13."Ain't Nothin' But a House Party"Carlton "Dell Sharh" Fisher, Joe Thomas3:07

Notes

Personnel

Charts

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Belgium (BEA) [33] Gold15,000*
United Kingdom (BPI) [34] Gold100,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

CountryDateFormat
Netherlands [35] 4 November 2011 CD
France4 November 2011 [36] Digital download
7 November 2011 [37] CD
Australia [38] 11 November 2011
Germany [39]
United Kingdom [40] 21 November 2011
United States [41] 24 January 2012

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References

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  2. ↑ Caulfield, Keith (1 February 2012). "Tim McGraw Scores Top Billboard 200 Debut, Adele Still No. 1". Billboard.
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  5. ↑ Kappala-Ramsamy, Gemma (23 October 2011). "This much I know: Seal". The Guardian. London.
  6. 1 2 "Soul 2 Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic". Metacritic . Retrieved 4 May 2012.
  7. ↑ AllMusic review
  8. 1 2 "BBC - Music - Review of Seal - Soul 2".
  9. ↑ Billboard review
  10. 1 2 Sullivan, Caroline (16 November 2011). "Seal: Soul 2 – review". The Guardian. London.
  11. 1 2 Gill, Andy (18 November 2011). "Album: Seal, Soul 2 (Warner Bros)" . The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 24 May 2022.
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  16. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Seal – Soul 2" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
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  18. ↑ "ČNS IFPI". Hitparáda - TOP50 Prodejní (in Czech). IFPI Czech Republic. Retrieved 26 November 2011.
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  36. ↑ "Soul 2".
  37. ↑ "Soul II".
  38. ↑ "JB Hi-Fi - Australia's Largest Home Entertainment Retailer".
  39. ↑ "Soul 2". Amazon Germany. 2011.
  40. ↑ "Soul 2". Amazon UK. 2011.
  41. ↑ "Soul 2". Amazon.
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