ZANG TUMMM TUMB ARTICLES “the first draft of history”

SEAL
Seal

ZTT ZTT 9

From Donna Summer to Block Box, Shannon to Sylvester, a passionate soul voice set in a glitteringly futuristic dance track has time and again crossed over from club to country. But as the groove gets stale, so generally does the singing career fade. Which is where Seal, on his debut album, is already ahead of the game. Though kicking off with Deep Water, a relentless gastric attack backbeat which seemingly nails him to the dancefloor, track twos impressionistic hymn to positivity (hello Prince, Lenny, Terence etc), transcends narrow categorisation assisted, somehow inevitably, by Wendy & Lisa. New Age soul is Seals thing, but he has a welcome pop edge, as evinced by the hit singles Crazy (cleverly recycled Christians-meets-Gabriel) and a reworked Killer (shades of Hot Chocolate). Produced by Trevor Horn, this is a fine debut and promises even better vibes to come. ☆☆☆☆