In the Spotlight showcases a cross-section of an artist’s cover work. View past installments, then post suggestions for future picks in the comments!
Seal Henry Olusegun Olumide Adeola Samuel’s list of awards and accolades go on nearly as long as his full name. He’s won Grammy Awards for Song of the Year, Record of the Year, and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance – all for “Kiss From a Rose,” his 1994 smash – and been nominated twelve more times. He’s sold twenty million records. And he’s earned all his success, thanks to a voice of soul, range, and power, both silky and sensual, lustrous and rich.
Hits, Seal’s 2009 best-of compilation, contains six covers: “Fly Like an Eagle,” “A Change Is Gonna Come,” “I Can’t Stand the Rain,” “It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World,” “I Am Your Man,” and “Thank You Falettinme Be Mice Elf Again.” Naturally, we wanted to dig a little deeper. It was beyond certain that we wouldn’t have to dig too far down before we found gold. Here are just five of the worthy nuggets we unearthed.
Seal – Hey Joe (The Leaves cover)
We’ve talked about “Hey Joe” a time or two before here, as it’s continued to resonate through the annals of rock music, thanks to Jimi Hendrix and many others. It also served as Seal’s debut cover, released on his 1991 EP Killer. (Seal also covered “Manic Depression” and “The Wind Cries Mary” in the ’90s, so his Jimichlorian count is off the chart.) The song later appeared in the 1996 heist movie Set It Off and appeared on its soundtrack, rubbing shoulders with Queen Latifah, Busta Rhymes, En Vogue, and Simply Red (?!?).
Seal – I’ve Been Loving You Too Long (Otis Redding cover)
2008 saw Seal sing Soul. The all-cover album looked back on the classic soul songs of the ’60s and ’70s, which Seal’s voice fit like a velvet hand in a cashmere glove. It wasn’t one of the singles, but “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long” is no also-ran. Seal gives it sublime cool where Otis gave it carnal heat. It’s not a twin of the original, but serves well as its progeny.
Seal – Ashes to Ashes (David Bowie cover)
Seal knows his David Bowie – he did an acoustic cover of “Life on Mars” that’s an absolute knockout – so when longtime collaborator Trevor Horn asked him to cover “Ashes to Ashes” on his cover album Trevor Horn Reimagines the ’80s, it was a hard yes. The Sarn Orchestra matches Seal soar for soar, swoop for swoop. No longer as quirky as the original, it has a majesty all its own. Seal would later reteam with Horn on a great version of Joe Jackson’s “Steppin’ Out” that’s even more worthy of your time.
Seal – Smile (Nat King Cole cover)
“This is the album I have always wanted to make,” Seal said of his 2017 release Standards. “I grew up listening to music from the Rat Pack era, so recording these timeless tunes was a lifelong dream.” One of those timeless tunes was “Smile.” Charlie Chaplin composed the tune itself, but Nat King Cole was the first one to sing lyrics (written by John Turner and Geoffrey Parsons). Seal’s take is quite close to Cole’s, conveying both the respect he holds for the song and artist and the knowledge of when a song’s been done right.
Seal – Both Sides Now (Joni Mitchell cover)
Joni Mitchell’s 75th birthday was one to celebrate. The artists invited to do so got to perform at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, in front of the lady of the hour. One of those artists was Seal, who performed “Both Sides Now” at a slower tempo, to a gorgeous arrangement, lifting the song to a wholly other place in a voice that positively luxuriated in all the meaning long imbued in the lyrics. Joni couldn’t have gotten a better tribute, not even from Seal’s heartfelt words to her at the end.
