Soul 2

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Soul 2
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Studio album by
Seal
Released4 November 2011
Recorded2011
Studio
Genre
Length42:07
LabelReprise
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.

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

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"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

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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic70/100[6]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStarStarFile:Star empty.svgFile:Star empty.svg[7]
BBC Musicpositive[8]
Billboardfavorable[9]
The GuardianStarStarStarStarFile:Star empty.svg[10]
The IndependentStarStarStarFile:Star empty.svgFile:Star 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

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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
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

  • (*) denotes co-producer

Personnel

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  • Seal – vocals
  • Jamie Muhoberac – keyboards (1, 2, 4, 6–11), synthesizers (1–4, 6–10), synth bass (5, 6, 10), acoustic piano (10), programming (10), percussion (10), melodica (11)
  • Pete Murray – keyboards (1–3, 5, 6), acoustic piano (1, 2, 5, 6, 11), orchestral arrangements (1–3), brass arrangements (1, 2), conductor (1, 2), synth bass (2), organ (11)
  • David Foster – keyboards (4, 7–9), orchestral and brass arrangements (4, 7–9)
  • Jochem van der Saag – synthesizers (4, 7–9), programming (4, 7–9), sound design (4, 7–9)
  • Julian Hinton – keyboards (5, 6), acoustic piano (5), programming (5, 6), orchestral arrangements (5, 6, 10, 11), brass arrangements (5), conductor (5, 6, 10, 11)
  • Leo Abrahams – electric guitar (1, 3, 5, 10, 11)
  • Chris Bruce – acoustic guitar (1, 11), electric guitar (1, 6, 10, 11), bass (1, 3, 4, 6–11), guitars (4, 7–9)
  • Lol Creme – electric guitar (2, 3, 11)
  • Phil Palmer – electric guitar (2, 3, 6), acoustic guitar (5)
  • Trevor Horn – bass (2, 3, 5), backing vocals (2, 5), acoustic guitar (10), melodica (11)
  • Ash Soan – drums (1–3, 5, 6, 11), percussion (1)
  • Victor Indrizzo – drums (4–10)
  • Tim Weidner – drum programming (5)
  • Aaron Horn – additional drum programming (6)
  • Frank Ricotti – percussion (1, 2, 6), vibraphone (1, 3, 6), orchestral percussion (5, 6)
  • Alex Acuña – percussion (2, 5, 7, 8, 10)
  • Graham Archer – percussion (10)
  • Dan Higgins – saxophone solo (9)
  • Jerry Hey – orchestral and brass arrangements (4, 7–9)
  • Steve Sidwell – orchestra conductor (3)
  • Jo Buckley – orchestra contractor (1–3, 5, 10, 11)
  • Everton Nelson – orchestra leader (1–3, 5, 10, 11)
  • Jimmie Wood – backing vocals (5)

Production

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  • Courtney Blooding – project coordinator
  • Katherine Frangetis-Tempestra – A&R coordinator
  • Gina Zimmitti – musician contractor
  • Thanh Tran – music copyist
  • Steve Huff – photography
  • Frank Maddocks – creative direction
  • Masaki Koike – art direction, design
  • Ric Salmon – management for Harvest Entertainment

Technical

  • Brian Gardner – mastering at Bernie Grundman Mastering (Hollywood, California)
  • Graham Archer – engineer (1–3, 5, 6, 10, 11), additional engineer (4, 7–9)
  • Tim Weidner – mix engineer, engineer (1–3, 5, 6, 10, 11), additional engineer (4, 7–9)
  • Mat Bartram – string engineer (1, 2, 5, 6)
  • Gary Langdon – brass engineer (1, 2, 5), string engineer (3, 10, 11)
  • François Lalonde – engineer (4, 7–9)
  • Don Murray – engineer (4, 7–9)
  • Jochem van der Saag – engineer (4, 7–9)
  • Jorge Vivo – engineer (4, 7–9)
  • Chris Owens – additional engineer (4)
  • Simon Bloor – assistant engineer (1–3, 5, 6, 10, 11)
  • John Cranfield – assistant engineer
  • Andy Hughes – assistant engineer
  • Chris Parker – assistant engineer (1, 2, 5, 6, 10)
  • Steve Genewick – assistant engineer (4, 7–9)

Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Belgium (BRMA)[33] Gold 15,000*
France (SNEP)[34] Platinum 100,000*
United Kingdom (BPI)[35] Gold 100,000^

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

Release history

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Country Date Format
Netherlands[36] 4 November 2011 CD
France 4 November 2011[37] Digital download
7 November 2011[38] CD
Australia[39] 11 November 2011
Germany[40]
United Kingdom[41] 21 November 2011
United States[42] 24 January 2012

References

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  7. ^ AllMusic review
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  9. ^ Billboard review
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  13. ^ Soul 2 (Deluxe Version) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B006VA4E3C/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_YKKF8343FE89RPKGVYAC
  14. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Seal – Soul 2". Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  15. ^ "Ultratop.be – Seal – Soul 2" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  16. ^ "Ultratop.be – Seal – Soul 2" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
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  19. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Seal – Soul 2" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  20. ^ "Lescharts.com – Seal – Soul 2". Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  21. ^ "Italiancharts.com – Seal – Soul 2". Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
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  23. ^ "Spanishcharts.com – Seal – Soul 2". Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  24. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Seal – Soul 2". Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  25. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  26. ^ "Seal Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  27. ^ "Seal Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  28. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
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