Seal (1994 album)

Seal (sometimes referred to as Seal II to avoid confusion with the 1991 album of the same name) is the second eponymous studio album by British singer Seal. The album was released in 1994 on ZTT and Sire Records and features the worldwide smash hit single "Kiss from a Rose".

Seal
Studio album by
Seal
Released23 May 1994
Recorded1993–1994
StudioSarm West
Genre
Length50:29
Label
ProducerTrevor Horn
Seal chronology
Seal
(1991)		 Seal
(1994)		 Human Being
(1998)
Singles from Seal
  1. "Prayer for the Dying"
    Released: 25 April 1994
  2. "Kiss from a Rose"
    Released: 18 July 1994
  3. "Newborn Friend"
    Released: 24 October 1994
  4. "I'm Alive"
    Released: 1994
  5. "Don't Cry"
    Released: 27 November 1995
  6. "If I Could"
    Released: 1995
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Christgau's Consumer Guide[2]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[3]
Entertainment WeeklyA[4]
Los Angeles Times[5]
Rolling Stone[6]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[7]

The image on the cover has since become nearly synonymous with Seal, in that it has appeared on several singles covers and was reused for his greatest hits album.

Track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Bring It On"
3:58
2."Prayer for the Dying"
  • Isidore
  • Seal
5:30
3."Dreaming in Metaphors"
  • Isidore
  • Seal
5:52
4."Don't Cry"Seal6:17
5."Fast Changes"
  • Isidore
  • Seal
5:42
6."Kiss from a Rose"Seal4:47
7."People Asking Why"Seal4:45
8."Newborn Friend"Seal4:05
9."If I Could" (duet with Joni Mitchell)Seal4:16
10."I'm Alive"
  • Coleman
  • Melvoin
  • Rizzo
  • Isidore
  • Seal
4:02
11."Bring It On (Reprise)"
  • Bruce
  • Coleman
  • Melvoin
  • Rizzo
  • Isidore
  • Seal
1:15

Personnel
  • Seal – vocals
  • Gus Isidore, Jamie Muhoberac, Lisa Coleman, Wendy Melvoin – principal musicians
  • Joseph "Amp" Fiddler, Andy Duncan, Andy Newmark, Anne Dudley, Anthony Pleeth, Barry Wilde, Ben Cruft, Betsy Cook, Bill Benham, Bob Smissen, Boguslaw Kostecki, Carmen Rizzo, Charley Drayton, Chris Bruce, Chris Laurence, D'Influence, David Oladunni, David Theodore, Derek Watkins, Dick Morgan, Eddie Roberts, Garfield Jackson, Gavyn Wright, George Robertson, Gota Yashiki, Harvey Mason, Helen Liebmann, Ian Thomas, Jackie Shave, Jeff Beck, Jim McLeod, John Pigneguy, Jonathan Evans-Jones, Judd Proctor, Katie Wilkinson, Laurence Cottle, Luís Jardim, Maciej Rakowski, Mark Berrow, Mark Mann, Martin Loveday, Mike Brittain, Mike De Saulles, Nick Busch, Pandit Dinesh, Patrick Kiernan, Paul Kegg, Perry Montague-Mason, Peter Oxer, Phil Spalding, Pino Palladino, Richard Cottle, Rita Manning, Roger Garland, Roger Smith, Sam Maitland, Sarah Webb, Seal, Tim Weidner, Tony Stanton, Trevor Horn, Wilfred Gibson, William Orbit – musicians
  • Anne Dudley, Wil Malone – string arrangements
  • Eric Caudieux – programming
  • Graeme Perkins – orchestration
  • Nick Knight – cover photography

Charts

Album
Chart (1994) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[8] 2
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[9] 8
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[10] 3
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[11] 25
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[12] 4
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[13] 33
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[14] 15
UK Albums (OCC)[15] 1
US Billboard 200[16] 15

Singles
Release date Title Peak (UK)
[17]
1994-05-099 May 1994 "Prayer for the Dying" 14
1994-07-1818 July 1994 "Kiss from a Rose" 20
1994-10-2424 October 1994 "Newborn Friend" 45
1995-07-033 July 1995 "Kiss from a Rose"/"I'm Alive" 4
1995-11-2727 November 1995 "Don't Cry"/"Prayer for the Dying" 51
1996-03-055 March 1996 "Don't Cry" (remix) —

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[18] Platinum 70,000^
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[19] Gold 100,000*
Germany (BVMI)[20] Gold 250,000^
Netherlands (NVPI)[21] Gold 50,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[22] Platinum 15,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[23] 2× Platinum 600,000^
United States (RIAA)[24] 4× Platinum 4,000,000^
Summaries
Europe (IFPI)[25] Platinum 1,000,000*

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

References
  1. Wilson, MacKenzie. "Seal [1994] – Seal". AllMusic. Retrieved 3 June 2012.
  2. Christgau, Robert (2000). "CG Book '90s: S". Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s. Macmillan. ISBN 0312245602. Retrieved 30 March 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
  3. Larkin, Colin (2011). "Seal". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-85712-595-8.
  4. Bernard, James (3 June 1994). "Seal". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 3 June 2012.
  5. Hunt, Dennis (5 June 1994). "Seal; 'Seal' (Sire/Warner Bros.)". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 3 August 2016.
  6. Wright, Christian (6 October 1994). "Seal: Seal (1994)". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 31 October 2007. Retrieved 3 June 2012.
  7. Hunter, James (2004). "Seal". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. p. 723. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  8. "Australiancharts.com – Seal – Seal II". Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  9. "Austriancharts.at – Seal – Seal II" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  10. "Dutchcharts.nl – Seal – Seal II" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  11. "Offiziellecharts.de – Seal – Seal II" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  12. "Charts.nz – Seal – Seal II". Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  13. "Swedishcharts.com – Seal – Seal II". Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  14. "Swisscharts.com – Seal – Seal II". Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  15. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  16. "Seal Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  17. "Seal | full Official Chart history". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  18. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia’s Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 246.
  19. "Brazilian album certifications – Seal – Seal II" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil.
  20. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Seal; 'Seal')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  21. "Dutch album certifications – Seal – Seal" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Enter Seal in the "Artiest of titel" box.
  22. "New Zealand album certifications – Seal – Seal". Recorded Music NZ.
  23. "British album certifications – Seal – Seal". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type Seal in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  24. "American album certifications – Seal – Seal". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH. 
  25. "IFPI Platinum Europe Awards – 1996". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
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