Soul 2
Soul 2 | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 4 November 2011 | |||
Recorded | 2011 | |||
Studio |
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Genre | ||||
Length | 42:07 | |||
Label | Reprise | |||
Producer |
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Seal chronology | ||||
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Singles from Soul 2 | ||||
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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.
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
[edit]"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
[edit]Aggregate scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 70/100[6] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
BBC Music | positive[8] |
Billboard | favorable[9] |
The Guardian | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Independent | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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
[edit]No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
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1. | "Wishing on a Star" | Billie Ray Calvin | Trevor Horn | 4:13 |
2. | "Love T.K.O." | Cecil Womack, Linda Womack, Gip Noble | Trevor Horn | 5:37 |
3. | "Ooh Baby Baby" | Smokey Robinson, Pete Moore | Trevor Horn | 3:01 |
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 Horn | 4:27 |
6. | "Love Don't Live Here Anymore" | Miles Gregory | Trevor Horn | 4:10 |
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 Horn | 3:26 |
11. | "Oh Girl" | Eugene Record | Trevor Horn | 3:53 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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12. | "For the Love of You" | Chris Jasper, Ernie Isley, Marvin Isley, Ronald Isley, Rudolph Isley | 4:13 |
13. | "Ain't Nothin' But a House Party" | Carlton "Dell Sharh" Fisher, Joe Thomas | 3:07 |
Notes
- (*) denotes co-producer
Personnel
[edit]- Seal – vocals
- Ash Soan – drums, percussion
- Chris Bruce – acoustic guitar, bass guitar, electric guitar
- Leo Abrahams – electric guitar
- Pete Murray – keyboards, piano, organ
- Frank Ricotti – orchestral percussion, percussion, vibraphone
- Jamie Muhoberac – keyboards, synthesizer, programming, percussion, melodica
- Jo Buckley – orchestral arrangements
- Trevor Horn – bass guitar, backing vocals, acoustic guitar, melodica
- Phil Palmer – electric guitar
- Lol Creme – electric guitar
- Alex Acuña – percussion
- David Foster – keyboards
- Victor Indrizzo – drums
- Jimmie Wood – backing vocals
- Julian Hinton – keyboards, programming, piano
- Aaron Horn – drum programming
- Jochem van der Saag – synthesizer, programming
- Dan Higgins – saxophone
- Graham Archer – percussion
- Jerry Hey – orchestral and brass arrangements
Charts
[edit] Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
|
Certifications
[edit]Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Belgium (BEA)[33] | Gold | 15,000* |
United Kingdom (BPI)[34] | Gold | 100,000^ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
Release history
[edit]Country | Date | Format |
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Netherlands[35] | 4 November 2011 | CD |
France | 4 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 |
References
[edit]- ^ Jones, Alan (30 January 2012). "Official Chart Analysis: Sales slow, but Sheeran and Cover Drive reign". Music Week. Retrieved 2 February 2012.
- ^ Caulfield, Keith (1 February 2012). "Tim McGraw Scores Top Billboard 200 Debut, Adele Still No. 1". Billboard.
- ^ "Upcoming Releases". Hits Daily Double. HITS Digital Ventures. Archived from the original on 29 October 2015.
- ^ a b c "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 December 2011. Retrieved 30 October 2011.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ Kappala-Ramsamy, Gemma (23 October 2011). "This much I know: Seal". The Guardian. London.
- ^ a b "Soul 2 Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved 4 May 2012.
- ^ AllMusic review
- ^ a b "BBC - Music - Review of Seal - Soul 2".
- ^ Billboard review
- ^ a b Sullivan, Caroline (16 November 2011). "Seal: Soul 2 – review". The Guardian. London.
- ^ a b Gill, Andy (18 November 2011). "Album: Seal, Soul 2 (Warner Bros)". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 24 May 2022.
- ^ "Soul 2 (Deluxe Version) by Seal".
- ^ Soul 2 (Deluxe Version) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B006VA4E3C/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_YKKF8343FE89RPKGVYAC
- ^ "Australiancharts.com – Seal – Soul 2". Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Seal – Soul 2" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Seal – Soul 2" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 26 December 2004. Retrieved 6 April 2012.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ "ČNS IFPI". Hitparáda - TOP50 Prodejní (in Czech). IFPI Czech Republic. Retrieved 26 November 2011.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Seal – Soul 2" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
- ^ "Lescharts.com – Seal – Soul 2". Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
- ^ "Italiancharts.com – Seal – Soul 2". Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
- ^ "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". Polish Albums Chart. OLiS. 28 November 2011. Retrieved 25 November 2011.
- ^ "Spanishcharts.com – Seal – Soul 2". Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
- ^ "Swisscharts.com – Seal – Soul 2". Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
- ^ "Seal Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
- ^ "Seal Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
- ^ "Rapports Annuels 2011". Ultratop. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
- ^ "End Of Year Chart 2011" (PDF). ChartsPlus. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
- ^ "Rapports Annuels 2012". Ultratop. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
- ^ "Top de l'année Top Albums 2012" (in French). SNEP. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
- ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2012". Billboard. 2 January 2013. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
- ^ "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – albums 2011". Ultratop. Hung Medien.
- ^ "British album certifications – Seal – Soul 2". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type Soul 2 in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
- ^ "Bol.com | Soul 2, Seal | Muziek". Archived from the original on 27 November 2011. Retrieved 26 November 2011.
- ^ "Soul 2".
- ^ "Soul II".
- ^ "JB Hi-Fi - Australia's Largest Home Entertainment Retailer".
- ^ "Soul 2". Amazon Germany. 2011.
- ^ "Soul 2". Amazon UK. 2011.
- ^ "Soul 2". Amazon.
External links
[edit]- Soul 2 at Metacritic