SEAL
Human Being (Warner Bros.)
Rating:5 out of 7
By Michael Lipton

   On the surface, the time Seal takes between releases may not seem particularly well-spent. Through three discs, he and producer Trevor Horn have made only slight alterations to their slick ’n’ soulful Grammy-winning formula since they teamed up in 1991. But, like a therapy session, each album finds the L.A.-based Londoner a more effective communicator. 
   Four years in the making, Human Being offers a few notable surprises. Not only is it the first Seal disc with a title, it’s his most honest and revealing to date. As he sings in "State Of Grace," "this is the sound of a feeling that’s caught in my head," and this time around, that sound is less dependent on Horn’s usual studio flim-flammery.
   Beginning with the murky, low-fi title track (and first single), Seal gently doles out the bad news first: "It’s destined/we’re mere human beings/we die." Things lighten up with the percolating, sensual cool of "Latest Craze." It’s his best shot at being carefree--although the result is more like Woody Allen than Prince--with his voice and song structure sounding surprisingly like a spiffed up Don Dixon. From there, the grooves are more elusive, with the balance tipped decidedly toward ballads. There’s nothing as distinctive as his 1994 Batman-fueled, chart-topping madrigal, "Kiss From A Rose," but "No Easy Way" is a bona fide tearjerker with "hit" written all over it, while "Colour" simmers and builds into the heart and soul of Seal’s vocal range.
   Seal is a troubled, if not tortured, soul and his maturation hasn’t been easy, but Human Being is a major stride in finding his own voice.