Soul is the sixth studio album by British singer Seal, which was released on 10 November 2008. The album was produced by David Foster, and co-produced, engineered and mixed by Jochem van der Saag. It is made up of cover versions of eleven soul music classics. The album charted within the top 10 in twelve countries. In the United Kingdom, the album charted at number twelve. As of January 2012, the album had sold 419,841 copies in the UK. The album peaked at number thirteen in the United States on the Billboard 200 albums chart. It has since sold 547,000 copies in the US.

Critical reception

Soul garnered mixed reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 59, based on eight reviews. AllMusic's John Bush called it "a sincere, well-considered affair", praising Seal's "caressing vocals" and knowledge of faithfully interpreting the track listing, and Foster's "subtle yet effective production" that use "earthy, organic arrangements and funky beats that are slightly clipped for a contemporary feel." Ashante Infantry of the Toronto Star wrote: "By turns instructive and seductive, the 45-year-old brings weariness and passion to the songs; love to see this performed live." Entertainment Weekly's Mikael Wood wrote that: "As always, Seal sounds great; age has relaxed his singing, and that lends the material an appropriately lived-in vibe." Rolling Stone's Jody Rosen called it "an unnecessary record", criticising Seal's interpretation of the covers for emitting "a feeling of swank Euro-sophistication that saps the music of much of its emotional oomph." Oliver Wang of Vibe criticised the "milquetoast musical arrangements" and Seal's performance of said arrangements for having "unnecessary vocal runs" and diminishing the "elegant grace" of the originals, saying it "sounds more like an album from a green American Idol winner than a pop veteran with half a dozen albums." While praising the cover of Denice Williams' "Free", Wang concluded that: "Had the rest of Soul followed the same path, it might have made a greater impression. As it is though, the lack of risk-taking leaves this set light on soul."

Track listing

Personnel

Choir on "People Get Ready"

Production

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications