hey seal!

great to see that everything is working fine for you

i am glad to hear that the album is going on well. let me ask something. last year in july you played a concert in bonn/germany. and you were singing two new songst which you said will be on the new album… is it possible that one of that songs was “‘WHEN YOU RUN’”? if so, it will be great, cuz i liked the song

anyway.thanks for giving all that infos to us – i appreciate it

Love

Tatjana

I have been a fan of your music since you blasted onto the scene in the early nineties. My wife and I finally got to see you live at Sun City last year (The Sunday show). I must confess I had no preconceived idea as to what to expect from your live act. That said, your voice, band, attitude, relaxness and crowd interaction blew me away. The whole experience was deeply emotional! A one and a half hour retro journey through the last 15 years of my life. The lyrics, sounds and mood orchestrated a fantastic cacophony of happiness, sadness, euphoria and hope. My lasting impression was how powerful a medium your music is live and how important it is to dedicate yourself to what we are absolutely passionate about. Seal, I cannot image you doing anything other than making music!

I am deeply curious about the “creation process. I am intrigued about what set of feelings and thoughts collaborated at a particular point in time that allowed you to find the words and sounds to express as you have. I was fascinated to see you and Eric in the swoosh clip giving the song life. It seems like a very iterative process that combines intellect and heart wrapped into one. When do you know (or maybe feel) when the song is finished and that there is nothing more to craft.

Living in South Africa, I am very curious as to your SA plans. I remember very vividly an interview you gave to Morning Live. It was about 6:15am in the morning and looked freezing. There was a choir of young children, dressed only in traditional attire, singing African songs for you. You seemed very humbled by the experience and later referred to how the one young boy kept calling to you not to “let them forget him”. Any clues as to when you will be back and what your plans might be?

Really looking forward to the new album. Would prefer a minimum of 8 tracks.

Thanks for the great sounds over all the years

Kevin M

I think you will be the one to lead the revolution of the “digital artist.” I’ve been following your posts and it’s evident that you understand the “record label” is going the way of the dinosaur.

By the way, I think the idea of great, frequent releases is a winning formula. How many other artists are thinking this way? You are well ahead of the pack, Seal.

By the way, I wrote a book, but I’m thinking of only releasing the interesting chapters. The message gets lost, but these are the best chapters.

Peace… today is the day to love, Janet

Nico

Again, thank you for the update. It’s really awesome to hear your thoughts about everything and especially sharing your vision for the new album. Its so welcome to be apart of that process. To answer your question, I totally see where you’re coming from but I would really prefer hearing 12 songs as opposed to 6, mainly because you are certainly unlike most artists; there is never a worry about dissappointment in the quality degrading over the span of the album – its always just an issue of wanting more!!! So I really hope you lean in that direction again,but I trust you will follow your creative instict and do what you feel is right.
Thanks again for remembering Togetherland! We wait eagerly.

//AP

Everything is cause and effect

Peace,

Burt Lawson

THANK YOU, NANNI

nice to hear from you again.

It`s great to read that the work on your new album is going well and we can expect it in summer!! Can`t wait to hear it ))

I think it`s time for a dance record – but not only 6 great tracks!

6 tracks on an album is not enough cause we must wait 3-5 years for a new album – so I want hear more stuff when an Seal-album is coming out.

So 12 tracks is my favourite number(6 great unbelievable tracks and 6 good tracks ) Believe me – 6 good tracks from you are very much better as 6 great tracks of most other artists!!

Or you must bring out 5-6 great tracks every year!! ) Only than the short number of tracks would be ok in my mind.

By the way:
I hope very much we can hear some “new” good tracks on b-sides on singles like “A Minor Groove” on “Future love paradise” single or “Blues in E” on “Newborn friend” …not only some remix versions!!! That makes a single really more intersting for buying in my opinion.

So have a great time!!

All the best

Kai

PS:
And don`t forget the Togetherland tracks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You can put it by and by on your page for streaming ;;-))))

On the other hand, if it’s truly great music, I will gladly buy the CD and love every minute of it (although I will still probably put the songs on my mp3 player). The great musicians out there don’t have 2-3 great songs, they have a CD full of them.

Your music falls into the second category – it’s just great music, and I haven’t heard anything I don’t truly enjoy listening to. In this case, I don’t think it matters whether it’s available as a whole album or singles because I want to hear it all either way.

But I do think it’s great that you are questioning the way the music industry does things; they do need a reality check because technology is changing how we listen to music.

Do your best! And in six months to a year when you’ve been touring or enjoying your family and the music comes pouring out of you again, we’ll have another x songs.

As fans, some of us like the collecting quest, and so I’m sure the “label” will find a way to release singles of each of the songs, maybe with some non-album b-sides…new ones, old ones, whatever

I think a 6 songs e.p is very fine if it doesn’t take 2 or 3 years to have another e.p released.

Back in the 60’s when the 4 track singles were the majority, they were released every 6 months, maximun… just an exemple.

And I am also waiting for your new album ….cant wait….

But in reading other comments …I just want to say for myself and my wife as well…
For every artist that we listen to, regardless if we first hear the song on the radio or if it’s someone we already knew… or if they have a song out we like.
We buy the whole album!!

Music is such a special gift, and the songs have such a deep meaning to so many different people …To passably miss one…..no we want to hear them all.

But as a final twist…Music and your voice are such a personal gift you should be able to express it as you feel it needs to be expressed.

So that is our take….
Graham

I think you´re right! Since I can download a few songs from an album I usually don´t buy cd´s or a whole album anymore. I choose the best ones and then I can hear it on my computer – where I´m the most time – and I don´t hear albums on my hifi any longer.

In some kind it´s sad, because you don´t get the feeling of an album or artist. I remember some albums I heard all days long and I can tell you, I experienced music in a different way. And I still can tell you what I did, when I heard some songs…

But you´re also right, that there´s no time anymore to sit down and only LISTEN music and do nothing else. But lots of music isn´t worth to hear, because it´s only produced for the money…
But don´t misunderstand me, I don´t intent your music!

So, what´s the best way? Maybe it´s better to put only the best songs on an album, because you can concentrate on them and make them much more better!!!
And as a fan I´m interested, what you think, which songs are best!

It´s a difficult question and as your comments shows, you get lots of different answers.
But I trust you, you´ll find the best way to do what´s best for you and that´ll best for your fans.
But thanks, that you want to know our opinion, that´s great!!!

Love and a happy time in studio, yours Andrea

People who are not Seal fans, but who like individual songs will just purchase the songs from itunes or similar anyway, and will therefore be unaffected by the number of songs on any album.

I guess the debate is fans vs occasional Seal listeners.

I personally still love Killer and the Jakarta remix of My Vision, although I love all your stuff, depends on my mood at the time.

Good luck with the creating, can’t wait.

Halo247 xxx

P.S……please…please…please…. tour the UK soon and allow a ticket pre-sale on your site. It means that the people at the front will be true fans and not at the mercy of touts and uge ticket agents. xx

Hope you find time to visit Tahoe again on your next tour…I read in the forum that there were some less than appropriate ‘fans’ in the crowd…I hope that was not the case. The show I attended was wonderful, and the crowd was great.

Peace – Love

Jason

I would prefer to have less great strong songs anyday with faster releases. I do agree with others that 6 songs is not quite enough. you should try to do at least 8-10 tracks, 6 songs just somehow seems incomplete regardless of how strong the songs are.

I think it is wonderful that you are involving your fans in the process,or at least wanting to know what we think. It had nothing to due with you being insecure. We are the ones that are buying your music, so I think you are being smart to want to know what we think. The music industy has changed and in my opinion it seems unnecessary to do 12-14 songs unless (you feel) they are all great strong songs. Whats the point? as you said most cds are filled with filler songs with only about 3-4 being hot songs(I stongly agree!). Although S, you do have a better track record than most. I can’t remember the last time I listened to a cd in its entirety. I can feel the energy of excitement from you in this post and I am sure what ever you decide to do it will be fabulous!!! you are the absolute coolest!!!Take care.

Charles thank you for doing such a fantastic job with this site!!!

peace,
I

So what’s the fabulouso hifi of choice? We are a B&O family, wouldn’t have it any other way.

Thanks for the Grammy info, “GNARLS” was my absolute fav of the night, and no way in …..I’d ever get sick of that song.

Charles, bless you for giving us this wonderful opprtunity to connect! You ROCK!

For me, I’d rather wait longer and have 12 songs on an album. BUT, if and WHEN the physical “album” is history and music is simply downloaded, I’d be very happy getting only 6 at a time (with the liner notes being posted on a website).

I actually DO listen to albums all the way through in my car. YOU and VAN HUNT are the ONLY two artists I know who haven’t released a bad song….and whose songs get better with each listen. I think most people give an album one or two listens and decide there are songs they don’t like, when if they’d listen to it repeatedly and undistracted, they’d have a greater appreciation.

Kudos to Charles for finding a way to showcase your techie side! Thanks for spoiling us. Good luck with the rest of the album and I hope to “collect” on your thank you in Cleveland sometime this summer.

Take care of that beautiful family!
xoSara