-S*

-?s!*

-?s!*

Tonights show will be great.  I’m looking forward to playing and spending a lot more time here.  Bye for now,

-S*

I hope you all like the look of the new site, all of my friends at ‘Magnet’ have worked really hard to and I think they’ve done a fantastic Job. I’m sure they would like to hear from you if you feel the same, if you don’t then keep it to yourselves (just kidding).

Last week, I sang for the presumptive Democratic nominee (God, that sounded so uncharacteristically political of me) and I have to say it was the highlight of my professional career. I sang the Sam Cooke song, ‘A Change Is Gonna Come’. As I walked of stage, he embraced me and we talked for a few minutes, just the future president, his number one secret service guy Bob and I. I will never forget that for the rest of my life. It will be a story I will hopefully tell to my children’s children ….. the day I sang for and was embraced by the man for all seasons. I’ve made a video to the song which was recorded and performed by the great David Foster (the most talented person I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with, a truly humbling experience). the video is being edited at the moment and was shot by a talented young photographer/film maker called Nabil Ekerland. As soon as there’s something to show, you will be the first to see

Also, I have been heavily back into my photography and will be posting a ‘though my eyes’ perspective of my travels and the tour. There’s already some images from Lithuania (Vilnius) to kick things off. I hope you like them.

Peace,

-?S*!

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[youtube qt3OOCDe-NU]


Click here (http://www.myspace.com/seal) to visit.

Hope you enjoy,

S

One of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen. We had a great time here albeit brief. The mayor was particularly impressive, a single mother of two and very progressively minded. She is pretty much the main reason we were able to play in such a pristine and historical place. Meersburg is such a unique part of Germany because you can see both Austria and Switzerland when looking out to sea. I would love to come back with my family some day.

S.

?

S.

During my trip to Le Mans, I was invited by Audi to take part in a pre-race lap around this historical race course with Herr Weiler and Dr Piesche. We were the only three cars allowed on this prestigious course. What was amazing was that as we were driving through the pits, I really started to get a feel for what it must be like for the great racers themselves. Unfortunately we ran out of memory space on my little point n shoot camera, I wish I’d had my HD Pano with me but alas… this was not the case. Anyway, you really had to be there to begin to have an idea of what I was feeling that day, it’s a memory I will NEVER forget.

Enjoy,

S?

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Hope you enjoy this. There are so many pics to sort through and I’m going through hell organizing my pics at the moment.

I just wanted to get some kind of account of the trip for you guys to get a feel.

Speak soon,

S.

PS, I will post some video tomorrow .

Here are a few random Photos from the last couple of weeks. Nothing special but I wanted to give you some semblance of what it’s like on the road. I haven’t been that great in posting recently due to time constraints so I thought I’d try and put something up at least.

S

I would just like to add that this is in fact a digital camera. It’s the latest in the line of the classic ‘M’ series from Leica. It’s an old design which has survived through decades of photographic evolution. The concept is known as ‘rangefinder’ meaning you look through a window off to the side as opposed to through the lens which is the case with most DSLR’s today. The camera doesn’t actually show you what the lens sees when focusing, but attempts to approximate it by way of something called ‘parallax’. Basically, all of this means a lot more work and ‘pfaffing’ around to take a picture. Does this camera take better pictures than lets say a prosumer Nikon or Canon, absolutely not! But it is very engaging and if one likes that aspect of it as do I, then it’s an excellent tool (when it’s not being erratic).

In Germany at the moment. I have a series of acoustic shows over the next week which I’m really looking forward to with my partners, Audi. It is so lovely to be in this great country which has now become a treasured part of my culture.

Here’s another shot from Orlando (I think) taken with the M8.

S.

I’ve often been asked what I shoot with. The answer is a variety of cameras but the one I’m drawn to the most is my M8. Don’t ask me why as for the most part it’s a pain in the rear but there’s a certain tradition aspect that’s really engaging.

S.

S*E*A*L

Yesterday evening in Maui

Good Day everyone

Okay, this, believe it or not, is the first real chance I’ve had to properly write and tell you a little bit about what’s been going on. Of course we are on tour at the moment and having a great time playing to everyone. It never ceases to amaze me how many people turn up and show their support and love for the music.
Once again I am so grateful for the life that you the fans have afforded me.

We are in Maui at the moment getting ready for a show tonight then we will leave day after tomorrow for Germany (love going their ) where we will be doing a few acoustic shows for Audi. Some of you may already know that I have a partnership with Audi, which I’m extremely excited about. Why? Because they’re a fantastic company who stand by their product with an admirable degree of integrity (plus I love their cars). They have been an absolute pleasure to do business with and they have treated my family and I with the utmost respect. As you can tell I am proud to have my name associated with them.

Health

Well, since I broke my foot earlier in the year, it has been a slow and at times painful process of rehab but you know what they say,
‘It’s only pain…it goes away’. I am feeling a lot better now so I would like to say thank you to all the well wishers.

On to music

I am so excited because at last, the new album is finished! It has been for about a month or so now but what’s significant about that, is that I’ve had time to live with it and to try and listen to it from an objective perspective, I STILL LOVE IT. It is called ‘SYSTEM’ and it can best be described as me ‘returning to my roots’ as it were. Some who’ve heard it say that it’s a dance album. I can understand why people say that, I see it more as an album of good songs that people will dance to…hopefully.
Whatever it is, the fact that I can hold my head up high and be proud of it when I eventually come and sing it to you is really what matters to me. It’s about believing what you’re singing and this is a place that I thankfully find myself in. I say thankfully because I was lucky enough to meet someone who in my mind is on his way to being regarded and talked about in the same breath as the greatest producers of our time.

Stuart Price

Has not only been a dream of an education to work with, but has also ended up being a great friend that I have the utmost respect for. I have often said that a record will end up sounding like the time you had making it. That said, I think we are all in for a very special treat.

This Morning

My friend and tour manager Todd Goldstein came into my room and asked me who, if anyone, moderated my site? When I asked why, he said because there was a woman posting some very nasty accusations about my flirting with her from the stage. This didn’t in the least bit trouble me because as I’m sure most of you can imagine, vicious rumors are an occupational hazard. But when I read the post, I saw that she had brought my wife’s name into her rhetoric. Now THAT is a different situation altogether.
Upon reading what she had written, I felt compelled to respond in a manner that lets just say, would’ve been far less than kind. But then as I read further, it became apparent that the poor woman was not only delusional but also seemingly lost and very unhappy. So I elected not give her any more airtime hoping that now that she finds herself banned from this site, it will give her more time to find whatever it is she is looking for.

Photography

I have been shooting away and going through the unenviable task of trying to organize my photos so that I can post them in a coherent gallery for you all to enjoy. It has been hard to find the time but I promise you there will be more up soon. Charles has also been working hard to get the back and front end right so that it will be the best viewing experience possible for all of you. Thank you for being patient. I love my photography and I do find myself in some unique situations so I can’t wait to share them with you.

I will also get the ‘Gadget Report’ section up and running soon so there are some exciting things to look forward to. Charles and I talked about doing a ‘Video Blog’ for the gadget report but it’s proving to require a bit more time and organizing than we thought. Excuses, excuses I know but it’s true.

Okay guys, I will get ready for sound check now for the show tonight in Maui. I will keep you posted with news and events that are going on my life and will let you know of a release date for ‘SYSTEM’. This is I believe, my finest record since my first so I cannot wait to get it to you.

As always,
Love, Peace and the Family

S

SYSTEM (track listing)

1. If it’s in my mind, it’s on my face.
2. Amazing
3. Just like before
4. Loaded
5. Wedding day
6. System
7. Silence
8. Living the right life
9. Rolling
10.Immaculate

Will see ya on stage tonight y’all

S.

Hi guys,
Greetings from Westbury NY. Today marks the beginning of a short tour before the world tour later in the year for the release of ‘SYSTEM’.
Looking forward to seeing you.
S.

S.

I love low bit räte

Hello everyone,

I want to start this morning by saying thank you for everyone’s contribution to this blog, it’s amazing that you all find the time to write such caring, intelligent and personal experiences that you are willing to share with me in response to my sharing some of my life with you.

Which brings me to a post from ‘Maggie’ who shared an experience she had with someone who passed away in the Neuro- Trauma unit at the hospital where she works. Maggie, you write so beautifully, we too feel your heavy heart. You’re not alone but please stop smoking.

Thank you to everyone for the birthday wishes, I had a great one with my family in Germany, which is a dream come true for me. Any time spent with those whom you love close to you, is priceless.

Charles and I went to see that film ‘Breach’ yesterday about the time I sent that picture from my cell phone. For the most part I found the film to be poorly executed saved only by the performance of Chris cooper who in my opinion is always great. I didn’t really see the point of the movie unfortunately.

The album is going very well as I mentioned before. During my trip to Germany this last week, I had a chance to listen to the work thus far on the plane there and back. Being up there far removed from contact or distraction adds certain timelessness to the mix, which allows you to enjoy it (or not as the case can be) from a listener’s perspective. They stood up really well I was pleased to find and made me all the more excited to start work in the studio again this coming week. I know Bill, Brian and Eric are equally enthused so the next few weeks should deliver some key components.

Well there isn’t much more for me to talk about so I will try and answer some questions that some of you have been asking. You’ll have to excuse me, as it can be quite difficult to remember a lot of them as they arrive through email notification. I think I’m going to have to devise some kind of system with Charles whereby your questions all go to some kind of pool that I can simply refer to and answer one go at a time instead of trying to search through all of the comments or emails that I get each day. Please bear with me and we will continue to improve. Whilst I remember, you are doing a fantastic job Charles, thanks for everything.

• I think I will do a photography book one day. Thanks for the kind words. I also think it’s a good idea to print some of my favorite ones on a t-shirt if I can find a cool and unusual way of doing that so again, thanks for the suggestions.
• I’m pleasantly surprised at the response I’m getting from everyone since I started the blog. Again this is one of the more positive things about the Internet…making the world a smaller place, a world without prejudice, a world without colour.
• I will definitely come to Houston and Austin in the near future
• Spain is one of the countries where I feel I haven’t spent enough time in. I know I have a lot of fans there and I really hope I can tour more there in the future starting with this next record.
• The guitar you’re hearing in the ‘Loaded’ clip is a gut string made by my favorite luthier ‘James Goodall’. He makes exquisite guitars out of Hawaii and they are my absolute guitars of choice. I prefer acoustics to electrics if I had to make the choice.
• Charles and I have been friends for about 13-14 years but he’s an old fart where as I’m young at heart
• Yes, ‘When you run’ will be one of the songs for the new record.
• To tell you the honest truth, I’m not entirely sure why my music has not been played extensively in AUS. It might be partly because I’ve never toured there on a grand level. I think when you visit a country it generates interest all round, in the media etc. Anyway, I plan to get out more in the near future so I apologize if I’ve neglected certain territories in that past.
• The tree is a ‘Fig Tree’ I believe.
• You know the song is finished when it sounds like a record. I remember Trevor used to say that to me when we were making albums one and two. He would say, “I don’t have the record yet”. I didn’t really know what he meant by that seeing as the song sounded finished and great to me until I first heard ‘Prayer for the dying’ on the radio in the car one afternoon. I parked and listened to it. I enjoyed it for the first time as a listener and not an author. It sounded different, like it was in its rightful place among the other records waiting to be heard. It had made the transformation from studio song to record. That’s how you know when the song is finished, when it sounds like something that you can buy in a store be it click or mortar.
• I plan on getting back to SA some time later this year. It is a top priority of mine to not only go back to entertain, but to also realize the dream.
• I would like to think that I had more of the sensitivity and compassion of a Piscean however I think that’s wishful thinking. In reality I’m more of a scatterbrained Aquarian.
• Someone suggested that I should ask all of you what images the new songs create in your minds eye and that from this input, I should consider making relative videos, a kind of competition if you will. I think it’s a great idea so stand by.
• Still haven’t had the time for ‘Togetherland’. Don’t hold your breath, it really isn’t all that but I will look for it as I promised…. honestly I will.

I hope this has answered some of your questions, I know there were tons more but I will try and get to them as time permits.

As always,

love, peace & the family,

S.

On my way to work, I see this tree so today you see it with me. S