past: Mya, Moodring
present: Seal, IV
future: Nelly Furtado, Only Child, 112, Missy Elliott, Timbaland and Magoo

Seal releases another CD. People take note. Since his albums are released more than two years apart, we’ve had to wait patiently for his songs. In a nutshell, this CD has hit further home. It may because there’s more introspection, and a little less than overt creativity. While this seems to be more heart-wrenching and much simpler than the last release, that’s a good sign.

Seal starts off with Get It Together, a nice cut and a perfect intro. Love's Divine, after repeated listens, gets better, and more cohesive. Waiting For You strikes major chords in that it's simply, using horns as a staccato which enunciates his words.

The day they found me asleep on the floor
Engine running, closed garage door
Was the day the For Sale sign arrived on the lawn
Two weeks later, and we were gone

While My Vision and Don't Make Me Wait are songs reminiscent of Seal's past, Let Me Roll steps out of the introspection and rocks the joint, dipping right into Touch. Very memorable, and simply a song which expresses the anxiety of the joys and pains of life: Still, I need to know / What time itself will really show. Loneliest Star dips even further into the spin and continues the introspection where Touch left off. The album then finishes with two songs not as strong as the three previous, Heavenly and Tinseltown.

This is standard Seal with all of his strengths and frailties. This is not to say that the CD is not memorable or that it's uneven...to the contrary, it's sublime and generally something to listen to. It won't knock you out of the box, but it will satisfy you and prepare you to wait for another three to four years for the next release.

My vibe? 7/10.

Express yourself to eXponent. It's a good thing.

I'm your fall in winter
I'm a wanted sign
And if you don't read me baby
You might lose your mind
- Let Me Roll

Don't you know that I'm free and I'm young
I'm the loneliest star from the sun
And I feel that I'm close to than one
Who will stop me from coming undone
- Loneliest Star