Soul 2

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.

Soul 2
Studio album by
Seal
Released4 November 2011
Recorded2011
StudioLondon, United Kingdom, and Los Angeles, United States
Genre
LabelReprise
Producer
Seal chronology
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

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
Metacritic70/100[6]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[7]
BBC Musicpositive[8]
Billboardfavorable[9]
The Guardian[10]
The Independent[11]
Sputnikmusic3.7/5[12]

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 CalvinTrevor Horn4:13
2."Love T.K.O."Cecil Womack, Linda Womack, Gip NobleTrevor Horn5:37
3."Ooh Baby Baby"Smokey Robinson, Pete MooreTrevor 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 GayeTrevor Horn4:27
6."Love Don't Live Here Anymore"Miles GregoryTrevor Horn4:10
7."Back Stabbers"Leon Huff, Gene McFadden, John WhiteheadDavid Foster, Trevor Horn, Jochem van der Saag*3:36
8."I'll Be Around"Thom Bell, Phil HurttDavid Foster, Trevor Horn, Jochem van der Saag*3:15
9."Love Won't Let Me Wait"Vinnie Barrett, Bobby EliDavid Foster, Trevor Horn, Jochem van der Saag*4:24
10."Lean on Me"Bill WithersTrevor Horn3:26
11."Oh Girl"Eugene RecordTrevor Horn3:53

Notes

  • (*) denotes co-producer

Personnel
  • Seal – vocals
  • Frank Ricotti – percussion, vibraphone
  • Chris Bruce – acoustic guitar, bass guitar, electric guitar
  • Jamie Muhoberac – keyboards, synthesizer, programming, percussion, melodica
  • Phil Palmer – electric guitar
  • Ash Soan – drums, percussion
  • David Foster – keyboards
  • Victor Indrizzo – drums
  • Lol Creme – electric guitar
  • Trevor Horn – bass guitar, backing vocals, acoustic guitar, melodica
  • Jimmie Wood – backing vocals
  • Alex Acuña – percussion
  • Julian Hinton – keyboards, programming, piano
  • Aaron Horn – drum programming
  • Jochem van der Saag – synthesizer, programming
  • Dan Higgins – saxophone
  • Graham Archer – percussion
  • Leo Abrahams – electric guitar
  • Pete Murray – keyboards, piano, organ

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Belgium (BEA)[30] Gold 15,000*
United Kingdom (BPI)[31] Gold 100,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

Release history
Country Date Format
Netherlands[32] 4 November 2011 CD
France 4 November 2011[33] Digital download
7 November 2011[34] CD
Australia[35] 11 November 2011
Germany[36]
United Kingdom[37] 21 November 2011
United States[38] 24 January 2012
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References
  1. Jones, Alan (30 January 2012). "Official Chart Analysis: Sales slow, but Sheeran and Cover Drive reign". Music Week. Retrieved 2 February 2012.
  2. Caulfield, Keith (1 February 2012). "Tim McGraw Scores Top Billboard 200 Debut, Adele Still No. 1". Billboard.
  3. "Upcoming Releases". Hits Daily Double. HITS Digital Ventures. Archived from the original on 29 October 2015.
  4. http://sealcom.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/Press_Release_-_Soul_2.pdf
  5. Kappala-Ramsamy, Gemma (23 October 2011). "This much I know: Seal". The Guardian. London.
  6. "Soul 2 Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved 4 May 2012.
  7. Allmusic review
  8. https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/jr28
  9. Billboard review
  10. Sullivan, Caroline (16 November 2011). "Seal: Soul 2 – review". The Guardian. London.
  11. Gill, Andy (18 November 2011). "Album: Seal, Soul 2 (Warner Bros)". The Independent. London.
  12. "Seal: Soul 2". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
  13. "Australiancharts.com – Seal – Soul 2". Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  14. "Ultratop.be – Seal – Soul 2" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  15. "Ultratop.be – Seal – Soul 2" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  16. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 5 April 2012. Retrieved 6 April 2012.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  17. "ČNS IFPI". Hitparáda - TOP50 Prodejní (in Czech). IFPI Czech Republic. Retrieved 26 November 2011.
  18. "Dutchcharts.nl – Seal – Soul 2" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  19. "Lescharts.com – Seal – Soul 2". Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  20. "Italiancharts.com – Seal – Soul 2". Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  21. "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". Polish Albums Chart. OLiS. 28 November 2011. Retrieved 25 November 2011.
  22. "Spanishcharts.com – Seal – Soul 2". Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  23. "Swisscharts.com – Seal – Soul 2". Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  24. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  25. "Seal Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  26. "Seal Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  27. http://www.ultratop.be/fr/annual.asp?year=2012&cat=a
  28. "Top de l'année Top Albums 2012" (in French). SNEP. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  29. "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2012". Billboard. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  30. "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – albums 2011". Ultratop. Hung Medien.
  31. "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.
  32. http://www.bol.com/nl/p/muziek/soul-2/1000004011760917/index.html
  33. https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B005ZLGT90/
  34. https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B005P3NPXG/
  35. https://www.jbhifionline.com.au/music/pop-rock/soul-2/656899
  36. https://www.amazon.de/dp/B005P3NPXG/
  37. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B005P3NPXG/
  38. https://www.amazon.com/Soul-2-Seal/dp/B005P3NPXG/
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