My Amazon Reviews: Seal "6: Commitment"

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Seal Sells Sentiment
3 Out of 5 Stars

Seal claims that he's happier now than ever before. Which might be great for him, but it's disappointing for us. While I still find him to be one of the most remarkable vocalists of our time, "Commitment" finds him riding straight up the middle of the road. Instead of the soul baring we heard even up to Seal IV, we now are listening to comfortably bland love songs coated with producer David Foster's bland strings and syrupy arrangements.

In fact, if it weren't for Seal's still potent voice, this would probably be a two star album. Face it, very few singers could sing "I'm one of your secrets, I belong to you and you belong to me" without sounding ridiculous, but Seal gets away with it. And don't get me wrong, as someone who rated the over-produced "Soul" with four stars, I am fine with well done plush. "Letting Go" and "The Weight of My Mistakes" are the best songs here; Seal sounds like he's really committed to the performance. The rest of the time, "Commitment" sounds like sentimental fluff.