Seal IV (by Seal, R&B)

This is a carefully constructed collection of songs all written (or co-written) by Seal to show off his extraordinary voice. Musically, many of the songs pay tribute to classic Detroit and Philadelphia R&B arrangements, with an overlay of pop-disco.

The production quality is a little disappointing -- it feels as though the recording should sparkle more throughout -- but the instrumental and vocal performances are beautifully delivered. The sexually seductive pleas implied in the lyrics of "Don't Make Me Wait" and "Let Me Roll" are delivered with innuendo that is almost too polite -- with his wonderful velvet-and-honey rasp, Seal could get a little dirtier and make it work just fine; the whole album feels restrained.

But teenagers will respond to "I'm free and I'm young; I'm the loneliest star from the sun; but I feel that I'm close to the one who will stop me from coming undone" ("Loneliest Star"), and the media-savvy musings of "Tinsel Town." The end result is an energetic, romantic, and lovely album featuring a very talented singer-songwriter.